From Delhi University Students Union’s first president to a minister in Haryana: Gajraj Bahadur Nagar

By Saurabh Duggal

From running a canteen at Delhi University (DU) campus to support his family to become Delhi University Students Union’s (DUSU) first president, Gajraj Bahadur Nagar was among the first lot of student leaders from DU to successfully enter mainstream politics.

He became a minister in the cabinet of Haryana’s stalwart leaders Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal.

Coming from a humble rural-background, a native of village Bhowapur in Faridabad (Haryana), Gajraj Bahadur, then a student of law (LLB), became the DUSU’s first president in 1954-55.

From DU he entered the mainstream politics and became a general secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress and also remained secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee before becoming a cabinet minister in Haryana in 1977.

“We grew up listening to tauji’s (referring to Gajraj Bahadur Nagar) tales. He managed a canteen at DU, so that he could take care of the family and fund the education of his younger siblings. He became a successful lawyer and a cabinet minister. Tauji single-handedly lifted the socio-economic status of the entire family. He got his sister admitted at Delhi's Miranda House College at a time when hardly any girl in our village was allowed to pursue studies beyond middle school,” says Rahul Nagar, Gajraj Bahadur’s nephew.

After working with Delhi Congress at various positions, Gajraj Bahadur left the party in 1969. Later, because of his close association with Chandra Shekhar, who became the country’s 8th prime minister, he joined Janata Party. He won the Haryana assembly elections from Mewla Maharajpur constituency in Faridabad in 1977 and became a Food and Supplies minister in the cabinet of Devi Lal. 

Later the Gujjar leader again joined Congress when Bhajan Lal toppled Devi Lal-led Janata government in 1979. He remained a minister in Bhajan Lal’s cabinet too.

Gajraj Bahadur, who also remained a president of Bar Association of Ballabhgarh for nine years, passed away in 2001 at the age of 73, leaving behind a rich legacy of a student leader making it big in the mainstream politics.