B. P. Mandal

Babu Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal (25 August 1918 – 13 April 1982) was a scion of the erstwhile Murho Estate and an Indian politician who chaired the Mandal Commission. Mandal came from a rich Yadav landlord family from Madhepura in Northern Bihar. He served as the seventh Chief Minister of Bihar in 1968, but he resigned after 30 days. As a parliamentarian, he served as the chairman of the Second Backward Classes Commission, popularly known as the Mandal Commission. The commission's report mobilised a segment of the Indian population known as "Other Backward Classes" (OBCs) and initiated a fierce debate on policies related to underrepresented and underprivileged groups in Indian politics. His mother was Sitawati Mandal. His father was Rash Bihari Lal Mandal, a zamindar (landlord) of the Murho estate, situated in the Madhepura sub-division of Bhagalpur district in Bihar.

Political career

In 1941, at the age of 23, he became a member of the Bhagalpur district council. However, as he was member of the Lower House, he was required to be a member of the Bihar Assembly to continue in the post of Chief Minister. Mandal's longstanding support for the depressed classes resulted in the formation of this commission, popularly known as the "Mandal Commission" or "Backward Classes Commission".

Commemoration

Various statues and memorials were made in his memory in the state, and one of the most significant ones stands in front of the governor's house in Patna. His birthday is celebrated annually in a formal ceremony led by his son, Manindra Kumar Mandal, other family members in their village, and the Chief Minister and other cabinet members of the state in Patna, Sasaram, and various other places.