ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TEJ&#256 SI&#7748GH SWATANTAR (1901-1973)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="TEJ,SIDGH,SWATANTAR,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279TEJ&#256 SI&#7748GH SWATANTAR (1901-1973), Sikh preacher turned revolutionary, was born Samund Si&#7749gh at Al&#363&#7751&#257, a village in Gurd&#257spur district of the Punjab, on 16 July 1901. His father's name was Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh. After finishing school, he joined <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College at Amritsar where he took a leading part in organizing a meeting to protest against the atrocity committed by the British in the Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> (13 April 1919). For this he had to leave the College. He joined the Ak&#257l&#299 Dal and took part in the agitation for the liberation of Sikh places of worship. In September 1921, he raised a squad called Swatantar Jath&#257 which in its maiden attempt had the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> at Tej&#257, a village in Gurd&#257spur district, released from the possession of the degenerate <i>mahants</i>. In celebration of the event, his colleagues named him Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Swatantar--'Tej&#257' from the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> liberated and 'Swatantar' from the Jath&#257 of which he was the leader. In a similar action, the Swatantar Jath&#257 brought the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> at Oth&#299&#257&#7749, also in Gurd&#257spur district, under the control of the reformists. Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh also took part in the Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> campaign.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Early in 1923, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh went to K&#257bul as a Sikh missionary. There he came in contact with <u>Gh</u>adr leaders such as &#362dham Si&#7749gh Kasel, Gurmukh Si&#7749gh, Ratan Singh and Santokh Si&#7749gh, who persuaded him to undergo a course of military training. In 1925, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh proceeded to Turkey under the assumed name of &#256z&#257d Beg. He took up Turkish citizenship and graduated in military sciences, receiving a commission in the army. Five years later, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh moved to Berlin, which had been another important centre of the <u>Gh</u>adrites. He travelled all over the continent and also visited Canada and the United States of America (U.S.A.). Wherever he went, he preached revolution at congregations of Indians, mainly Punjabi Sikh immigrants. A brilliant orator, he was described by the American intelligence as a 'fiery speaker'. In January 1932, he left North America and visited Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil before reaching Moscow where he joined the university. In December 1934, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh returned to India and became a prominent leader of the Kirt&#299 group of the Communist Party. Disguised as a <i>s&#257dh&#363</i>, he wandered throughout the Punjab countryside and contributed regularly articles to the Party journal, the <i>Kirt&#299</i>. On 16 January 1936, he was arrested along with other Communist leaders, and sent to Campbellpore jail. During his confinement he passed his Bachelor of Arts examination from the University of the Pañjab, Lahore. While in jail, he was elected unopposed to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in May 1937 as a nominee of the Indian National Congress.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Swatantar was secretary of the Punjab Communist Party from 1944 to 1947, and a prominent leader of the Kis&#257n Sabh&#257. He led a number of peasant agitations against government and the landlords. A highlight of the period of his career was the agitation at Hars&#257 Chh&#299n&#257 in 1946. After Independence, Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh formed his L&#257l (red) Party with the former Kirt&#299 group of the Punjab Communist Party as the nucleus. L&#257l Party became an active constituent of the Punjab Riy&#257st&#299 Pr&#257j&#257 Ma&#7751&#7693al and campaigned for the merger fo the princely states into the Punjab and against the tenancy laws prevalent in these territories. Warrants fo arrest were issued against him in 1948, but he went underground and reappeared in public only when these were withdrawn on 5 january 1963.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh edited <i>L&#257l Jha&#7751&#7693&#257</i>, a monthly in Urdu, and <i>L&#257l Saver&#257</i>, a weekly in Punjabi, and contributed frequenly to other papers and journals. He was a member of the Punjab Legislative Council from 1964-69 and was, in 1971, elected to the Lok Sabh&#257. He died after a heart attack in Central Hall of Parliament on 12 April 1973.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Vaid, Chhajj&#363 Mall, <i>Lok&#257&#7749 La&#299 Joojh Gay&#257 Ik Ty&#257g&#299 Tapasv&#299 te Tajasv&#299 : Tej&#257 Singh Sutantar</i> : Silver Jubilee Souvenir of the C.P.I. Punjab. 26 January 1976<BR> <li class="C1"> Warsol&#257, Swaran Si&#7749gh, <i>Visphot to&#7749 Pehl&#257&#7749</i>. Amritsar, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Sai&#7749sar&#257, Gurcharan Singh, <i><u>Gh</u>adar P&#257r&#7789&#299 d&#257 Itih&#257s</i>. Jalandhar, 1969<BR> <li class="C1"> Jagj&#299t Si&#7749gh, <i><u>Gh</u>adar P&#257r&#7789&#299 Lahir</i>. Delhi, 1979<BR> <li class="C1"> Walia, Ramesh, <i>Praj&#257 Mandal Movement in East Punjab States</i>. Patiala, 1972<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Har&#299sh K. Pur&#299<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>