Before Dr. Rajendra Prasad took the chair, it was Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha who presided over the very first session of India's Constituent Assembly — and on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh marked the Bihar statesman's birth anniversary with a tribute on X, calling his vision and public service eternally worthy of remembrance.

Singh wrote in Hindi: 'Bharatiya Samvidhan Sabha ke pratham (antarim) adhyaksh evam aadhunik Bihar ke nirman mein aham bhumika nibhane wale Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha ji ki jayanti par unhe sadar naman' — ('Respectful salutations to Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha on his birth anniversary — the first interim President of the Indian Constituent Assembly and a figure who played a vital role in building modern Bihar'). He added that Sinha's far-sighted thinking, contribution to public life, and dedication to the nation 'will always be remembered.'

When the Constituent Assembly convened for its historic first session on 9 December 1946, it was Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha — lawyer, freedom fighter, and senior Bihar leader — who occupied the chair as its temporary presiding officer. The convention of appointing the eldest member to preside at an inaugural session placed Sinha at the threshold of one of the most consequential gatherings in Indian history. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was subsequently elected permanent President of the Assembly, but Sinha's brief stewardship sealed his place in the constitutional record.

Beyond that singular moment, Sinha's footprint on Bihar ran deep — through law, journalism, and educational institution-building in an era when the state's modern civic architecture was still being laid. His career bridged the colonial and independence periods, making him a figure both of regional pride and national significance.

Singh's tribute fits a consistent pattern among BJP leaders from Bihar: systematically commemorating regional figures who shaped national institutions, particularly around constitution-making and the freedom movement. With Constitution Day falling on 26 November — just weeks away — such remembrances also serve as a cultural prelude to the annual national conversation about India's founding document and the men and women who built it.

For Singh, the Bihar connection carries particular resonance. As Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, invoking Sinha is both a nod to the state's outsized contribution to independent India and a reminder that the constitution's first guardian came from Bihar's soil.