Gurbinder Kaur Brar

Gurbrinder Kaur Brar (1922–2013) was an Indian National Congress (INC) politician from the state of Punjab, India.

Gurbinder Kaur Brar
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly
In office
29 September 1985 - 11 May 1987
Preceded byPrakash Singh Badal
Succeeded bySatnam Singh Kainth
ConstituencyMuktsar
Member of 7th Lok Sabha
In office
1980–1984
Preceded byBalwant Singh Ramoowalia
Succeeded byShaminder Singh
ConstituencyFaridkot
Personal details
Born12 August 1922
Died7 September 2013
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Harcharan Singh Brar

Early life

Gurbinder Kaur was born in Kairon village of Amritsar district on 12 August 1922 to Jaswant Singh and his wife. She graduated from Kinnaird College, Lahore and received her Master of Arts degree from Government College, Lahore.[1] She was a niece of Partap Singh Kairon.[2]

Career

In her youth Brar joined the Indian National Congress party and in recognition of her work, she was appointed the head of Ferozepur district's Congress Committee in 1964, a post she held till 1970. She also served as the vice-president of Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh.[1]

Brar contested her first assembly election in 1972 from Malout and defeated Gurmeet Singh of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) by a margin of 11,676 votes.[2][3] The following year, Zail Singh, then Chief Minister of Punjab included Brar in his cabinet.[4] She was made a Minister of State for Housing and Slum Clearance, Relief and Rehabilitation, Urban Development and Urban Estates and Habitat.[5]

Later the Congress party fielded Brar in Faridkot for the elections to the 7th Lok Sabha, from where she defeated SAD's Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, polling 50.43% of votes against his 46.06%.[6] During her tenure as a Member of Parliament, she served on the Committee on Public Undertakings.[7] A year after completing her term in the central legislature, she contested the 1985 Punjab assembly election from Muktsar and defeated her nearest rival by 5,277 votes. SAD formed the government after gaining absolute majority while Brar was chosen the leader of the opposition in the state assembly.[2][8]

After her husband Harcharan Singh Brar became the chief minister, she acted as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee's de facto chief for a short time in 1996.[9]

Personal life

Gurbinder married Harcharan Singh Brar on 24 February 1948.[1] Together they had a son Adesh Kanwarjit Singh Brar and a daughter Kamaljit 'Babli' Brar.[2] She died on 7 September 2013 at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.[7][10][11]

References
  1. "Members Bioprofile: Brar,Smt. Gurbrinder Kaur". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. Kaur, Sukhdeep (25 December 2016). "The Brar dynasty: Not a male bastion, MLA Karan Brar is holding fort to the legacy". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  3. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Punjab" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 15. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  4. Sidhu, Lakhwinder Singh (1994). Party Politics in Punjab. Harnam Publications. p. 119. ISBN 978-81-85247-08-3.
  5. Asian Recorder. 22. New Delhi: K. K. Thomas. 1976. p. xi.
  6. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1980 to the Seventh Lok Sabha" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 197. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. "Fifteenth Loksabha: Session : 14 Date : 05-12-2013". Lok Sabha. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1985 to the Legislative Assembly of Punjab" (PDF). Election Commission of India. pp. 9, 118. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. Vinayak, R. (15 February 1996). "CM in trouble: Dissidents confront Punjab Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar". India Today. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  10. "Badal, Bajwa mourn death of former CM's wife". Hindustan Times. Chandigarh. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  11. "Ex-CM Brar's wife dies at 85". The Tribune. Chandigarh. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
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