Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi was a joumalist who wrote in Hindi on social and educational problems prevalent in India. He became a disciple of Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi and published the news weekly Pratap. (In 1920, the Pratap became a daily.) Vidyarthi was chosen the President of UP Provincial Congress Committee and from 1926 to 1929, he remained a member of UP Legislative Council. He was mur­dered in an attempt to prevent communal riots.