Acharya Kripalani was a Gandhian all his life. He was a patriot and an intellectual. He was a bold critic of the Government for its lapses. Kripalani took delight in exposing various shortcomings through his writings, which were very contemptuous in tone. Because of this nature, he was known as ‘The Gadfly’.
He was born in 1888 in an upper-caste family in
Hyderabad, now in Pakistan. He had his education in Karachi where he made his mark as a student leader. He was a professor in various reputed colleges and universities. It was during his tenure as the principal of the Gujurat Vidhyapith (University), founded by Mahatma Gandhi, that he attained the title of ‘Acharya’ (Teacher). His wife, Sucheta Kripalani, became the first female Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1936.
Kripalani authored a number of books that included the official biography of Gandhiji. Kripalani was the President of the Indian National Congress at its
Meerut (in Uttar Pradesh) session in 1946. Due to some differences with other leaders of the party, he left Congress and founded a political party known as Krishak Mazdoor Praja Party (KMPP) which subsequently merged into the Praja Socialist Party (PSP). He resigned from the PSP in 1954. He then supported the Janata Party which formed the Government in 1977. Acharya Kripalani died in 1982.
