M Rafi Ahmed
Age is never a barrier for those who have the dauntless spirit to face all odds. Dr Shafiqur Rahman Barq (94) created a record of sorts of being the oldest Lok Sabha MP in the annals of Indian Parliament brushing aside his age-related ailments. In fact, he surpassed British politician Sir Peter Bottomley (80) known as Father of the House of Commons. Shafiqur Rahman, who was a sitting MP, was to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Sadly, he passed away on Feb 27, 2024.
Worth mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address at the five-day special session of Parliament referred to Shafiqur Rehman Barq and said, “It is a big thing that Sambhal MP Dr. Shafiqur Rehman Barq is sitting in this House even after the age of 93 today.” Such loyalty should be owed to every Member of the House. The entire House reverberated with applause endorsing Modi’s remarks.
Barq was born in 1930 in Sambhal’s Deepa Sarai to parents who were daily-wage workers. He studied at Agra University, before returning to Sambhal. Having learnt medicine as a doctor’s assistant, he started being consulted by patients suffering from minor ailments. Thus, he became a Hakim (doctor) for the locals. Barq started his political career after joining ranks with socialist leaders, including SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. He was elected four times as MLA and five times as Lok Sabha MP and was a sitting MP. Three times from Moradabad under SP 1996 to 2009 and again BSP ticket from Sambhal in 2009-14. Back to SP, he won from Sambhal in 2019. Four time MLA from Sambhal under BKD, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Janata Dal 1974-1991.
Notably, he remained the voice of Muslim community in the Lok Sabha till his death. Despite his oldage and with age-related issues, he attended the Parliament sessions regularly. Barq sparked a debate when he refused to chant “Vande Mataram” during his oath-taking ceremony in Parliament. Barq, who was married to the late Quresha Begum, is survived by his son, Mamluk Ur Rahman, a Muslim cleric in Sambhal while Barq’s grandson Ziaur Rahman is currently an MLA from the Kundarki constituency in the Moradabad district.
In contrast, Chandrani Murmu (25) takes the credit of being the youngest MP in the Indian Parliament. She was tagged as the surprise candidate of Biju Janata Dal from the Keonjhar seat in Odisha. But she proved individuals’ uncertainty wrong when she defeated the two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak by a margin of nearly 66,200 votes and claimed the Keonjhar constituency with her triumph. She is armed with B.Tech from the Institute of Technical Education & Research (ITER) Bhubaneshwar in 2017. Chandrani belongs to the Scheduled Tribe while her dad Sanjeeb Murmu is a government officer and her mom Urvashi, a retired employee of the Odisha Government.
