Vithalbhai Patel: A Forgotten Great Indian

He was the first Indian to hold the post of the President/Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly. He was elected by a majority of the members of the House in 1925. Thus, he was the first elected Sabhapati of the Central Legislative Assembly (the Lower House) formed in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1919 with the objective of implementing the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.

- Dr. Ravindra Kumar

His public life started with his entry into the Bombay Legislative Council in 1912 where Vithalbhai Patel especially played a vital role in introducing two bills namely, ‘The Bombay District Municipal Act Amendment Bill’ and ‘The Town Planning Bill’. He was also instrumental in 1912, the very year of his entry into the Council, to pass an amendment to ‘The Bombay Medical Act’, seeking to register doctors for disciplinary action for malpractice. This amendment did not include Ayurvedic physicians. His role in introducing a passage for a Bill, i.e., ‘Compulsory and Free Education’ there in 1917 was also notable and historic. Vithalbhai Patel’s efforts and works for the promotion of the Ayurvedic and the Unani system were noteworthy. He was elected to the Imperial Legislative Council in 1918 and then to the Central Legislative Assembly opened in 1924.