Shivana sookdeo bissoondoyal biography
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal
Mauritian politician ()
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal MP | |
|---|---|
| In office 23 December &#;– 23 December | |
| Prime Minister | Seewoosagur Ramgoolam |
| Preceded by | Maurice Lesage |
| Succeeded by | Aneerood Jugnauth |
| In office 7 August &#;– 20 December | |
| Prime Minister | Seewoosagur Ramgoolam |
| In office 21 October &#;– 7 August | |
| Prime Minister | Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (Chief Minister) |
| In office 9 March &#;– 21 October | |
| Prime Minister | Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (Chief Minister onwards) |
| In office 26 August &#;– 9 March | |
| In office 9 August &#;– 26 August | |
| Born | ()25 December British Mauritius |
| Died | 18 August () (aged&#;68) Souillac, Mauritius |
| Political party | Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (25 December – 18 August ) was a Mauritian politician and one of the leading figures in the nation's independence movement.
Early life
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born in Tyack, Rivière des Anguilles in He had two brothers Basdeo and Soogrim.[1]
Education and career
At the Young Men's Hindu Aided Primary School (Port Louis) he acquired his primary education. He passed his teacher's examination and worked as primary school teacher from to [2]
Political career
In , Sookdeo Bissoondoyal left the teaching profession to join his elder brother Basdeo's movement Jan Andolan.[3] Sookdeo became active in politics and was elected to the Legislative Council in the Grand Port-Savanne constituency in the August elections.[4] He was re-elected in within the same constituency.[5]
On 13 April he founded the Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) political party.[6] He was re-elected in the Rose-Belle Constituency No in the elections at a time when there were 40 constituencies,[7] which saw the IFB win six seats.[8] Following the elections, Bissoondoyal was appointed Minister of Local Government and Cooperative Movements. He was re-elected for the fourth consecutive time in the same Rose-Belle Constituency No in the elections,[9] whilst the IFB increased its representation to seven seats.
In Sookdeo Bissoondoyal attended the Constitutional Conference in London (also known as Lancaster Conference) in preparation for the independence of Mauritius. The elections saw the IFB run as part of the Independence Party (Mauritius) (IP) which became a coalition of the Labour Party and the Muslim Committee of Action. The IP alliance won the August elections, with Bissoondoyal re-elected in the Vieux Grand Port & Rose-Belle Constituency No,[10] and subsequently becoming Minister of Cooperatives. The elections would be the fifth and last time for Sookdeo to be elected to the Legislative Council. He resigned from the Council of Ministers on 21 March due to a disagreement on some issues, including the postponement of the general elections by the Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. In Bissoondoyal became Leader of the Opposition. In , he was candidate at the general elections in Constituency No (Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle) but was not elected, as he was defeated by rivals Gungoosingh, Basant Rai and Doongoor of Independence Party (Mauritius).[11] In the aftermath of the defeat Sookdeo died within a year and his party IFB did not participate in any subsequent elections.[12]
Bibliography
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal wrote the book "A Concise History of Mauritius" which was published for the first time in by Bharativa Vidya Bhavan.[13] The book "Sookdeo Bissoondoyal, Life and Times" was written by R. Jeetah and published in and subsequent years.[14]
Legacy
In honour of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal the Port Louis municipal council renamed Place d'Armes as Place Sookdeo Bissoondoyal where his statue has been erected. The statue faces that of his brother Basdeo.[15] The secondary state school Sookdeo Bissoondoyal State College in Rose-Belle is also named after him. On 3 April the Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Memorial Museum (located on the main road in the village of Tyack, Rivière des Anguilles) was inaugurated.[16] In the Bank of Mauritius issued new Rupees bank notes featuring a portrait of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal on the obverse face.