Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, who was prepared to face the wrath of the British trading community to defend the rights of labourers, was born in Delhi on 13 May, 1905.
His father was Colonel Jalnoor Ali, who opposed the discrimination shown by the British officials against the Indian officials in the Army.
He graduated from the Punjab University and studied law in England where he met Jawaharlal Nehru.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed started his practice in 1923 as an advocate at Lahore. He later took membership in the Indian National Congress in 1931 to enter into the National Movement. He went to Gowhati, the present Capital of Assam, to look after his family estate.
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Rejection of Muslim League calls
In Gowhathi he took up the key responsibilities of Assam branch of the Indian National Congress. He rejected the invitations by the Muslim League leaders and continued in the Congress only.
He defeated the Muslim League candidate in 1935 elections and got elected to the Assam Assembly and became Minister for Revenue and Labour Welfare. During his tenure, he brought several pro-labour bills like Agricultural Income Tax Bill etc., defying the ire of the British traders.
Defiance Against British Rule
He participated in the individual Satyagraha in 1940, for which he was jailed by the British. Later, he was once again imprisoned for his role in the Quit India Movement and was in Jail till April, 1945.
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Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed got married to Begum Abeda in 1945. He declared that the unity among the Hindus and Muslims is essential to achieve independence. He strongly opposed the divisive politics of the Muslim League.
Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed got elected to the Assam Assembly and Rajyasabha several times after independence and held different ministries in Govt. of India. He further joined the Central Cabinet on the invitation of the Pandit Nehru.
When Indian National Congress was split in 1969, he supported Indira Gandhi. He was further elected to the Parliament in 1971.
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Fifth President of India
In the later political developments, Dr Ali was elected as the President of India in 1974.
As the fifth President of India, he helped the development of Sports and Cultural activities. Since he was also personally interested in those fields.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was born on 13 May, 1905. He was the second #Muslim President of India. In 1977, he died in office while going for #namaz. Ahmed declared emergency in 1975 on cabinet's suggestion. @iamrana @rashtrapatibhvn @shahid_siddiqui @RifatJawaid @CMOfficeAssam pic.twitter.com/mVMSSuqIxk
— Heritage Times (@HeritageTimesIN) May 12, 2019
Though he was criticized for the declaration of Emergency in 1975, he was respected for his honesty, integrity and secular ideology. Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed took his last breath on 11 February, 1977 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
