Vitthalbhai Patel

A two-day All India Speakers’ Conference was inaugurated by Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, at the Delhi Legislative Assembly on August 24, 2025. The conference was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of freedom fighter Vitthalbhai Patel becoming the first elected Indian President of the Central Legislative Assembly.

Early Life & Career of Vitthalbhai Patel:

• Vitthalbhai Patel was the older brother of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• He studied law in England before returning to Bombay to practice.
• His political career began with his election to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1912 and the Imperial Legislative Council in 1918.

First Indian President:

• In 1924, he was elected as a member of the Central Legislative Assembly from Bombay city.
• He rose to become its first Indian President on August 22, 1925.

Contributions to the Office:

• During his two tenures as President, he established key practices and institutions that are still followed by Parliament’s Speakers in independent India.
• He consistently insisted upon and upheld the highest standards of dignity for the office.

Political Ideology:

• He was among the senior Congress leaders who opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s decision to suspend the Non-Cooperation Movement after the Chauri Chaura incident.
• Along with leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, Motilal Nehru, and Chittaranjan Das, he co-founded the Swaraj Party in 1923.
• Despite their differences, the Swaraj Party leaders worked closely with the Congress for the cause of India’s freedom.

Later Years:

• In the years before his death, he collaborated with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• Both leaders believed that raising awareness about India’s cause in foreign nations was essential, as they felt Gandhiji’s methods were not sufficient on their own.

Death: He passed away in Geneva on October 22, 1933, due to ill-health.

(Sources: PIB & IE)