Motilal Nehru

Motilal Nehru was an Indian independence activist and leader of the Indian National Congress. He was born on May 6,1861 in Agra, India.

He was one of the first Indians to receive 'Western' education in India. He attended Muir College at Agra but failed to appear for his Bachelor of Arts degree examinations. Motilal Nehru then enlisted himself as a lawyer in the English courts. He became a barrister and settled in Allahabad. As a successful barrister, he earned the honor of appearing in the Privy Council of Great Britain.

Motilal Nehru was an active Indian independence activist. He was arrested by the British police during the Non-Cooperation Movement. Although Motilal Nehru was at first close to Mahatma Gandhi, later on he developed some differences with him and joined the Swaraj Party which tried to enter the British backed councils. The Swaraj Party became a failure; and Nehru returned to the Congress.

Motilal Nehru was the prime mover of the Nehru Commission (1928), the first constitution written by Indians which sought a dominion status for India within the British Empire. It was rejected by hard line Indians who saw it as an unfair document not representing the varied interests of the native Indian population.

Motilal Nehru's failing health kept him out of the pre-independent Indian politics when Mahatma Gandhi started the Salt Satyagraha. He was arrested in 1930, but was released quickly due to his deteriorating physical condition. This freedom fighter and a prominent figure in Indian National Congress passed away on February 6, 1931.


Kanishka Harshvardhana Ashoka Chandragupta Maurya Babar Sher Shah Suri Prithviraj Chauhan Akbar Humayun Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Aruna Asaf Ali Mahatma Gandhi Bal Gangadhar Tilak Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Mangal Pandey