श्याम नंदन मिश्र / राज्यसभा में पूर्व प्रतिपक्ष के नेता

Shyam Nandan Mishra (freedom fighter, MP in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha, ex External Affairs Minister and a known scholastic orator in Paliament) (October, 1920 – 25 October 2004) was born at Gonawan (Patna) and had his education at Sursand, Muzaffarpur and Patna Law College, Patna.

He was related to Shri Bhadra Kali Mishra, Minister in Nepal, and a very close friend of Shri B.P.Koirala, Shri Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinker’, Shri Ram Briksha ‘Benipuri’, Shri Mathura Prasad Mishra (MP from Begusarai 1952 to 1967 & MP in Provisional Parliament 1950 to 1952), Shri Ram Vilas Sharma (MLC 1952-75 & ex Minister).

A teacher by vocation, Shri Mishra took active part in the Indian Independence Movement and was imprisoned in connection with the Quit India Movement during 1942–1943. Shri Mishra was associated with various social and political organisations. He was also Editor of the publications ‘Liberator’ and ‘Bihar Vaibhav’.

The long and distinguished political career of Shri Mishra started with the membership of the Provisional Parliament of India (Constituent Assembly of India) (46 members from Bihar were nominated) of which he was a member from 1950 to 1952. He was also member of the 1st, 2nd,5th and 6th Lok Sabha. 

Shri Mishra also represented the State of Bihar in Rajya Sabha from December, 1962 to April, 1966 and again from April, 1966 to March, 1971. 

It was only in 1969 that for the first time since Independence, the two Houses had recognised Opposition Party [Congress Party (Organigation) formed after the split in the Congress Party in November, 1969] and a Leader of the Opposition in each House. Shri Mishra was Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from December, 1969 to March, 1971 after the bifurcation of Congress Party. Indira Gandhi’s Congress Party was known as Congress (Ruling) or Cong.(R) & Morarji Desai’s Congress Party was known as Congress (Organigation) or Cong.(O).

In 1975, the principal opposition party leaders were arrested in the first hours of the Emergency: Vajpayee, Advani, Madhu Dandavate (Socialist) and Shyam Nandan Mishra (Congress (O)) and were detained together on 26 June in Bangalore, where they had gone to take part in a parliamentary commission.

Shri Mishra served as the Union Deputy Minister for Planning from 1954 to 1962 and Cabinet Indian Foreign Minister with additional charge of Communications from 1979 to 1980. 

Shri Mishra also had the distinction to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru from June, 1951 to May, 1952. He was Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament from 1967 to 1969 and Leader of the Congress (O) Party in the Rajya Sabha from 1969 to 1971.

A widely travelled person, Shri Mishra was member of various Indian Parliamentary Delegations abroad and represented the country in several international events. He was member of the Indian Delegations to the 10th Session of Economic Commission for Asia and Far East at Ceylon nowSri Lanka in 1954; 17th Session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation at New Yorkin 1954; Inter-Parliamentary Council at Dublin in 1965; Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the U.S.S.R. in 1965; and of the Nineteenth Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at London in 1973.

In his condolence message at his death, the then Governor Justice Mandagadde Rama Jois said that the nation has lost a great partiot, a freedom fighter, a true Gandhian and a Congressman. Mishra was an expert in planning and economy, Jois said, "I had the unique opportunity of challenging his detention in the High Court of Karnataka when he was arrested on June 26, 1975 (during The Emergency). He was keenly interested in installing Mahatma Gandhi's statue wearing a Kathiawar turban at Motihari and had invited me to install it. This year's floods delayed his plan unfortunately."