Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra


Shyam Nandan Mishra was an Indian politician. He was born at Gonawan, Patna, India in October 1920 and was educated at Sursand, Muzaffarpur and Law College, Patna.

Political career

Before Indian independence

Shyam Nandan Mishra took active part in the Indian Independence Movement and was imprisoned in connection with the Quit India Movement during 1942–1943. He was associated with various social and political organisations. He was also editor of the publications Liberator and Bihar Vaibhav.

After independence

His political career began with membership of the Constituent Assembly of India between 1950-52. He was also member of the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th Lok Sabha. He also represented the State of Bihar in the Rajya Sabha from December 1962 to April 1966 and again from April 1966 to March 1971. He was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from December 1969 to March 1971. In 1975, when the principal opposition party leaders were arrested in the first hours of the Emergency, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Madhu Dandavate and Shyam Nandan Mishra and were detained together on 26 June in Bangalore, where they had gone to take part in a parliamentary commission.
Mishra served as the Union Deputy Minister for Planning from 1954 to 1962. He also served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru from June, 1951 to May, 1952. He was Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament from 1967 to 1969 and Leader of the Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha from 1969 to 1971.
In 1979, Mishra was appointed Minister for External Affairs in Charan Singh Ministry.

Member of Indian Delegations

A widely travelled person, Mishra was member of various Indian Parliamentary Delegations abroad and represented the country in several international events.

Death

Mishra died on 25 October 2004 at his daughter's residence in Kadamkuan, following a cardiac arrest. In his condolence message at his death, the then Governor of Bihar, Justice Mandagadde Rama Jois said "The nation has lost a great partiot, a freedom fighter, a true Gandhian and a Congressman. Mishra was an expert in planning and economy, I had the unique opportunity of challenging his detention in the Karnataka High Court when he was arrested on June 26, 1975."