Panchanan Rai: A Teacher MLC Whose Mere Presence Used To Scare Education Minister

Panchanan Rai – “Hello, is this SP sir, I am speaking to?

SP – Yes, Sir

Panchanan Rai – This is Panchanan Rai speaking

SP – Jai Hind, Sir

Panchanan Rai – Are you guys in your police station unable to differentiate between a teacher and a terrorist?

SP – Sir, Sir

Panchanan Rai – The misbehavior with a teacher by your constable is pretty unfortunate. He has committed wrong hurting the dignity of all the teachers.

SP – Sir, Sir.

Panchanan Rai – Immediately suspend that sub-inspector till the evening and personally go and apologize to that teacher for the mistake of your sub-inspector, otherwise from tomorrow I will start demonstrations in the entire state.

SP –  Sir, Sir. Sir I sure will do that.

Panchanan Rai – Okay.

This statement belongs to Panchanan Rai, one of the great sons of the soil of Azamgarh. Panchanan Rai was born on November 28, 1942 in Bhuvana Gram Sabha of Sagdi Tehsil of Azamgarh district.

There was no match for Panchanan Rai’s nature and his skilled personality. In 1966, he was appointed as a teachers in the Town Inter College of Azamgarh. He saw that teachers were being forced to sign the honorarium. They were being given something else and the signature was taken for something else. He immediately rebelled against the manager.

As a result, he was dismissed. Soon after this, in 1967, he was appointed as a lecturer in Maltari Inter College, but the opposition from the management system continued against him. Through an announcement he appealed all the teachers to get united and in the year 1968 he led a mass movement in Azamgarh in favor or the teachers.

During the same year, Panchanan Rai started working as an active worker of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Teachers Association and then gradually he became the branch minister while teaching in Gandhi Inter College Maltari. In 1971, he was elected as District Minister of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Teachers Association and continued to struggle for the suffering of teachers. In view of his attitude and struggles in 1977, RN Thakurai, the then president of the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Teachers Association, elected him as the state minister.

Impressed by his popularity, Kalpanath Rai, a strong leader of the Congress, made Panchanan Rai a candidate from Sagdi assembly constituency of Azamgarh district and Panchanan Rai won the seat living up to the trust reposed in him. In 1982, he was appointed as the State General Secretary of the Secondary Teachers Association. Immediately after becoming the Regional General Secretary, he intensified the struggle in support of the teachers of the state.

The then Uttar Pradesh government was trying to propose a code of conduct for teachers. He opposed it due to which Congress party did not offer him ticket in 1985 elections.

His life has been devoted to the welfare of people be it a teacher or a common man of the state. He has been active all through his life for the people and that can be seen in everything he did:

◆ He was a teacher in whose support the teachers publicly burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister.
◆ He freed the teachers from the exploitation of the management system.
◆ He fought for the respect of teachers.
◆ He raised the voice of teachers and the underprivileged in the House.
◆ He did not allow the MLA fund to be misappropriated.
◆ Instead of sycophants, he always gave respect to those who work on the ground.
◆ Legislative matters were all memorized by him, the Chief Minister himself used to give answers by leaving behind the minister who was nervous due to his barrage of questions in the House.

Sagdi Assembly Constituency

In 1980, Panchanan Rai won the election on the Congress ticket, but in the 1985 assembly elections, the Congress did not make him a candidate, that made the Congress to face defeat and in 1985, Ramjanm Yadav won the election on the ticket of the Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party. In 1989, Congress made Panchanan Rai its candidate and he won this seat by registering a thumping victory. He was the last Congress MLA from Sagdi assembly constituency, after 1989 Congress has not been able to register its victory from there. He was elected the MLA from Sagri assembly constituency in 1980 and 1989.

Gorakhpur Faizabad Teachers Constituency

Panchanan Rai was elected as teacher MLA in 1996 from Gorakhpur Faizabad teacher constituency with huge votes. After this, in 2002, the he was again elected as the Teacher MLA. Due to his constant struggles, the payment of teachers’ salaries was ensured and the exploitation by the managers ended completely. And even today, the teacher still considers Panchanan as his messiah.

On September 5, 1998, a conspiracy was hatched by the government to arrest him so that he could be sent to jail under various sections. As soon as this was heard, the teachers openly burnt the effigy of the then Chief Minister in the broad daylight and 19 teacher colleagues also got arrested together while raising slogans against the government.

The contribution of late teacher Messiah Panchanan in the education world, who made teachers go for achievements from zero to peak due to his non-stop struggles, can never be forgotten. His life full of struggles will always be a source of inspiration for everyone.

The sharp and outspoken General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Secondary Teachers Association, former MLA and then member of the Legislative Council, was killed in a road accident on the Teachers Day itself. It was September 5, 2007, when he was leaving for another teacher’s program. His demise on the day of Teacher’s Day had shaken the entire state including the education department.

Panchanan Rai was also known as a synonym for the welfare of teachers. He was such a warrior who devoted himself with determination till his last breath in the interest of teachers. He was known as a great force of teachers. He was said to be synonymous with struggles, hearing whose roar, the governments used to get unnerved. Irrespective of which party is in the government, he never let the interests of the teachers come under fire during his life. The Panchanan Rai Foundation, run by his supporters, still helps talented poor students in their studies through scholarships.