Gadkari pays tribute to Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das on birth anniversary
Synopsis
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari marked the birth anniversary of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das on November 5, paying tribute to the freedom fighter, Congress president, and Swaraj Party co-founder who sacrificed his fortune for India's independence cause.
Key Takeaways
Nitin Gadkari paid tribute to Chittaranjan Das on his birth anniversary, November 5, 2026 .
Chittaranjan Das (1870–1925) was a barrister, freedom fighter, and president of the Indian National Congress in 1921 .
He co-founded the Swaraj Party in 1923 alongside Motilal Nehru to contest colonial councils from within.
Das earned the title Deshbandhu — 'Friend of the Nation' — after donating his entire fortune and property to the independence movement.
Indian political leaders across parties routinely mark such anniversaries as part of a tradition of honouring freedom-struggle icons.
On the birth anniversary of one of India's most revered freedom fighters, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari paid humble homage to Chittaranjan Das — the man history remembers as Deshbandhu, 'Friend of the Nation' — on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Gadkari's post on X read: 'Humble homage to the freedom fighter Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das ji on his birth anniversary.' The tribute was brief, as befits a moment of quiet reverence — but the name it honours carries enormous weight in India's independence story.
Who was Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das?
Chittaranjan Das, born November 5, 1870, was a titan of India's freedom movement — a barrister, poet, and political strategist rolled into one. He rose to national prominence as the defence lawyer for Aurobindo Ghose in the Alipore Bomb Case of 1908, a trial that transfixed the country and cemented his reputation for fearless advocacy.
In 1921, Das was elected president of the Indian National Congress. Two years later, dissatisfied with the Congress's decision to boycott legislatures, he co-founded the Swaraj Party alongside Motilal Nehru — a tactical pivot that sought to contest elections and obstruct colonial rule from within the councils. The move was controversial but proved strategically significant.
He earned the title Deshbandhu — 'Friend of the Nation' — not merely for political achievement but for a personal act of radical sacrifice: he donated his entire legal fortune, home, and property to the national cause. He died in office on June 16, 1925, aged just 54, mourned across the country as a loss of irreplaceable stature.
A tradition of remembrance in Indian political culture
Gadkari's tribute is part of a wider, deeply embedded practice among Indian political leaders of marking birth and death anniversaries of independence-era figures on social media. For a senior BJP leader and former party national president, paying homage to figures from across the ideological spectrum of the freedom movement reflects the broad, cross-party reverence these icons command.
November 5 is observed annually in India as Chittaranjan Das's birth anniversary, with commemorations ranging from state functions to educational programmes — a reminder that the story of India's independence belongs to no single party or region.
One hundred and fifty-six years after his birth, the name Deshbandhu still draws ministers to pause and remember — proof that some legacies outlast every political cycle.
Point of View
Rooted in Bengal's Congress tradition, represents precisely the cross-regional, cross-party reverence that such commemorations are designed to signal. For a former BJP national president, the gesture reinforces the party's long-running effort to position itself as the custodian of the entire freedom struggle, not merely a strand of it. As India's commemorative culture increasingly plays out on social media, these posts also serve as low-cost but high-visibility acts of political image-building.
NationPress
5 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Chittaranjan Das and why is he called Deshbandhu?
Chittaranjan Das (1870–1925) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, and political leader. He earned the title Deshbandhu , meaning 'Friend of the Nation,' after donating his entire legal fortune and property to the independence movement.
When is Chittaranjan Das's birth anniversary?
Chittaranjan Das was born on November 5, 1870 . His birth anniversary is observed annually in India on November 5 .
What was the Swaraj Party founded by Chittaranjan Das?
The Swaraj Party was co-founded by Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru in 1923 . It was formed to contest legislative council elections and obstruct British colonial policy from within the government's own institutions.
What did Nitin Gadkari say about Chittaranjan Das?
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari posted on X: 'Humble homage to the freedom fighter Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das ji on his birth anniversary,' marking the November 5, 2026 anniversary.
Was Chittaranjan Das president of the Indian National Congress?
Yes. Chittaranjan Das served as president of the Indian National Congress in 1921 , one of the most prominent positions he held during India's freedom movement.
