A regional satrap, a Hindu nationalist and a conservative congressman: Dwarka Prasad Mishra (1901–1988). Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ankit, Rakesh
• Is Part Of: Contemporary South Asia. Volume 24:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 36
• Page End: 49
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: Indian National Congress -- DP Mishra -- provincial politics; South Asia -- Periodicals; 954
• DOI: 10.1080/09584935.2015.1132190
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0958-4935

Abstract

Abstract : DP Mishra, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1963 to 1967 and twice minister in Central Provinces and Berar (1937–1939, 1946–1950), was a key figure in Congress politics and provincial governance from the pre- to the post-independence period in India. Mishra was a noted Patel acolyte and a vocal critic of Nehru. A Brahmin leader, he identified with an elite-based Hindu politics of caste and community. He was also an efficient administrator and his career peaked in 1966–1967 when he acted as a counsellor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In this paper, I argue that his political life is an important prism through which to view Congress politics, its High Command culture, its character in provinces/states and its continuities with the colonial state in governance.