K. Kamaraj
In this Indian name, the name Kumarasami is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Kamaraj.
| K. Kamaraj கு. காமராஜ் |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for Nagercoil | |
| In office 1967–1975 |
|
| Preceded by | A. Nesamony |
| Succeeded by | Kumari Ananthan |
| Constituency | Nagercoil |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for Sattur | |
| In office 1957–1967 |
|
| Preceded by | S. Ramaswamy Naidu |
| Succeeded by | S. Ramaswamy Naidu |
| Constituency | Sattur |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for Gudiyatham | |
| In office 1954–1957 |
|
| Preceded by | Rathnaswamy and A. J. Arunachala Mudaliar |
| Succeeded by | V. K. Kothandaraman and T. Manavalan |
| Constituency | Gudiyatham |
| Chief Minister of the Madras State (Tamil Nadu) | |
| In office 1954–1963 |
|
| Preceded by | C. Rajagopalachari |
| Succeeded by | M. Bhakthavatsalam |
| Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for Srivilliputhur | |
| In office 1952–1954 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | S. S. Natarajan |
| Constituency | Srivilliputhur |
| President of the Indian National Congress (Organisation) | |
| In office 1967–1971 |
|
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Morarji Desai |
| President of the Indian National Congress | |
| In office 1963–1967 |
|
| Preceded by | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Succeeded by | S. Nijalingappa |
| President of the Madras Provincial Congress Committee | |
| In office 1946–1952 |
|
| Succeeded by | P. Subbarayan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 July 1903 Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 2 October 1975 (aged 72) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Religion | Hinduism[1] |
| Signature |  |
He was involved in the Indian independence movement.[5] As a high-ranking office bearer of the Indian National Congress, he was instrumental in bringing to power two Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Indira Gandhi in 1966. In Tamil Nadu, his home state, he is still remembered for bringing school education to millions of the rural poor by introducing free education and the free Midday Meal Scheme during his tenure as chief minister. He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously in 1976.[6] The domestic terminal of the Chennai airport is named "Kamaraj Terminal", Chennai's Beach Road renamed "Kamarajar Salai", Bengaluru's North Parade Road as "K. Kamaraj Rd." and the Madurai Kamaraj University in his honour.[4][7]
Early life
Kamaraj was born on 15 July 1903 to Kumarasamy Nadar and Sivakami Ammal at Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu. His real name was Kamakshi and his mother affectionately called him Raja and later his name became Kamaraj(Kamatchi + Raja).[1] His parents were from a trading family. His father Kumarasamy Nadar, was a coconut merchant. In 1907, four years after the birth of Kamaraj his sister Nagammal was born.[8][9] At age 5 (1907), Kamaraj was admitted to traditional school(called 'Thinnai Palli' in Tamil which was a system of school available in the past) on the next day of "Saraswathy Pooja".[10] In 1908, he was admitted in Yenadhi Narayana Vidhya Salai. In 1909 Kamaraj was admitted in Virudupatti High School—Kshtriya Vidhyasala which is the only high school in Virdhupatti.[11] Kamaraj's father died when he was six years old and his mother was forced to support her family by selling her jewellery. In 1914, Kamaraj dropped out of school to support his family.[12][13][14] After that he worked in his uncle's clothshop as a salesboy.[15]During this time, he started joining processions and attended public meetings about Home Rule Movement and British Rule addressed by orators like Dr. Varadarajulu Naidu, V.Kalyana Sundara Mudaliar and George Joseph.[16][17] Kamaraj developed interest in prevailing political conditions by reading newspapers daily.[18]
Punjab Massacre was the decisive turning point in his life and at this point he decided his aim was to fight for the National freedom and to bring an end to foreign rule.[19][20] In 1920, at the age of 18 he became active political worker and joined Congress as full-time worker.[20] In 1921, Kamaraj was organising public meetings at Virudhunagar for congress leaders. He was eager to meet Gandhi and when Gandhi visited Madhurai on September 21, 1921, Kamaraj attended Gandhi's public meeting and met him for the first time in person. He visited villages carrying Congress propaganda .[21]
In 1922, Congress was boycotting the visit of Prince of Wales as part of Non-cooperation movement. Kamaraj came to Madras and took part in this event.[22] Kamaraj participated in the famous Vaikom Satyagraha led by George Joseph against the atrocities of the higher caste Hindus on the Harijans.[23] In 1923–25, Kamaraj participated in Nagpur Flag Satyagraha .[24] In 1927, Kamaraj started Sword Satyagraha in Madras and also he was chosen to lead the Neil Statue Satyagraha but it was given up later in view of Simon Commission boycott.[25][26] Kamaraj lead almost all the agitation and demonstration against the British rule.[27]
Kamaraj was first jailed in June 1930 for two years in Alipore Jail, Calcutta for participation in "Salt Satyagraha" led by Rajagopalachari at Vedaranyam and was released earlier in 1931 in consequence of Gandhi-Irwin Pact before he could serve full term imprisonment [28] [29] .[30]
In 1932, Section 144 was imposed in Madras prohibiting the holdings of meetings and organising procession against the arrest of Gandhi in Bombay. In Virdhunagar under Kamaraj leadership everyday processions and demonstrations happened. Kamaraj was arrested again in Jan 1932 and sentenced for 1 year imprisonment.[31]
In 1933, Kamaraj was falsely implicated in the Virudhunagar bomb case. Dr. Varadarajulu Naidu and George Joseph argued on Kamaraj's behalf and proved the charges to be baseless [32] [33] .[34]
Kamaraj was doing a vigorous campaign through the state asking people not to contribute to war funds when Sir Arthur Hope the Madras Governor was collecting contributions to funds for Second World War. In Dec 1940, he was arrested again at Guntur under the 'Defence of Indian Rules' for speeches opposing contributions to the war fund and sent to Vellore Central Prison while he was on his way to Wardha to get Gandhiji's approval for a list of Satyagrahis. While he was in jail, he was elected as Municipal Council of Virudhunagar. He got released 9 months later in Nov 1941 and he resigned from his post as he thought he had greater responsibility for the nation [35] [36] .[37] His principle was "One should not accept any post to which one could not do full justice".[38]
In 1942, Kamaraj attented All India Congress Committee in Bombay and returned to spread propaganda material for the "Quit India Movement" called by Gandhiji. The Police issued orders to all the leaders who attented this Bombay session. Kamaraj did not want to get arrested before he takes the message to all district and local leaders. He decided not to goto Madras and decided to cut short his trip and saw large number of policemen waiting for the arrest of congress leaders in Arakonam. He managed to escape from the police and went to Ranipet, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai and informed local leaders about the Programme. He reached Virdhunagar after finishing his work and sent message to the local police that he was ready to be arrested. He was arrested on August 1942. He was under detention for 3 years and was released on June 1945. This was the last term of his prison life [36] [39] [40] [41]
Kamaraj was imprisoned six times by British and spent nine years in jail for his Pro-Independence activities [42] [43]
Politics
On 13 April 1954, K. Kamaraj became the Chief Minister of Madras Province. To everyone's surprise, Kamaraj nominated C. Subramaniam and M. Bhakthavatsalam, who had contested his leadership, to the newly formed cabinet. Never did Kamaraj aspire for any post in the party or in the administration. For him the posts were like a towel over the shoulder . Without any hesitation he chose to quit posts for the benefit of future generation .Education
Kamaraj, removed the family vocation based Hereditary Education Policy introduced by Rajaji. The State made immense strides in education and trade. New schools were opened, so that poor rural students were to walk no more than 3 miles (4.8 km) to their nearest school. Better facilities were added to existing ones. No village remained without a primary school and no panchayat without a high school. Kamaraj strove to eradicate illiteracy by introducing free and compulsory re education up to the eleventh standard. He introduced the Midday Meal Scheme to provide at least one meal per day to the lakhs of poor school children (first time in the world). He introduced free school uniforms to weed out caste, creed and class distinctions among young minds.
Agriculture
Major irrigation schemes were planned in Kamaraj's period . Dams and irrigation canals were build across Lower Bhavani, Mani Muthar, Aarani, Vaigai, Amaravathi, Sathanur, Krishnagiri, Pullambadi, Parambikulam and Neyyaru among others. The Lower Bhavani Dam in Erode district brought 207,000 acres (840 km2) of land under cultivation. 45,000 acres (180 km2) of land benefited from canals constructed from Mettur Dam. Vaigai and Sathanur systems facilitated cultivation across thousands of acres of lands in Madurai and North Arcot districts respectively. Rs 30 crores were planned to be spent for Parambikulam River scheme in Kamaraj's period. 150 lakhs of acres of lands was brought under cultivation. One third of this i.e. 56 lakhs of acres of land got permanent irrigation facility.In 1957–61 1,628 Tanks were de-silted under Small Irrigation Scheme 2000 wells were dug with outlets. Long term loans with 25% subsidy were given to farmers. Apart from farmers who are having dry lands were given oil engines, electric pump sets on installment basis.
Commerce and Industry
Industries with huge investments in crores of Rupees were started in his period. Neyveli Lignite Corporation, BHEL at Trichy, Manali Oil Refinery, Hindustan raw photo film factory at Ooty, Surgical instruments factory at Chennai, Railway Coach factory at Chennai were established. Industries such as paper, sugar, chemicals and cement took off during the period.Kamaraj's First Cabinet
Kamaraj's council of ministers during his first tenure as Chief Minister(13 April 1954–31 March 1957):[45]| Minister | Portfolios |
|---|---|
| K. Kamaraj | Chief Minister, Public and Police in the Home Department |
| M. Bhaktavatsalam | Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries, Cinchona, Rural Welfare, Community Projects, National Extension Scheme, Women’s Welfare, Industries and Labour and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary |
| C. Subramaniam | Finance, Food, Education, Elections and Information and Publicity and Law (Courts and Prisons) |
| A. B. Shetty | Medical and Public Health, Co-operation, Housing and Ex-servicemen. |
| M. A. Manickavelu Naicker | Land Revenue, Commercial Taxes and Rural Development |
| Raja Sri Shanmuga Rajeswara Sethupathi | Public Works, Accommodation Control, Engineering Colleges, Stationery and Printing including Establishment questions of the Stationery Department and the Government Press |
| B. Parameswaran | Transport, Harijan Uplift, Hindu Religious Endowments, Registration and Prohibition |
| S. S. Ramasami Padayachi | Local Administration |
- Changes
- Following the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, A. B. Shetty quit the Ministry on 1 March 1956 and his portfolio was shared between the other ministers.
Kamaraj's Second Cabinet
Kamaraj's council of ministers during his second tenure as Chief Minister (1 April 1957–1 March 1962)[46]| Minister | Portfolios |
|---|---|
| K. Kamaraj | Chief Minister, Public, Planning and Development (including Local development Works, Women's Welfare, Community Projects and Rural Welfare), National Extension Scheme |
| M. Bhaktavatsalam | Home |
| C. Subramaniam | Finance |
| R. Venkataraman | Industries |
| M. A. Manickavelu Naicker | Revenue |
| P. Kakkan | Works |
| V. Ramaiah | Electricity |
| Lourdhammal Simon | Local Administration |
Kamaraj's Third Cabinet
Kamaraj's council of ministers during his third tenure as Chief Minister(3 March 1962–2 October 1963)[46][47][48]| Minister | Portfolios |
|---|---|
| K. Kamaraj | Chief Minister, Public, Planning and Development (including Local development Works, Women's Welfare, Community Projects and Rural Welfare), National Extension Scheme |
| M. Bhaktavatsalam | Finance and Education |
| Jothi Venkatachalam | Public Health |
| R. Venkataraman | Revenue |
| S. M. Abdul Majid | Local Administration |
| P. Kakkan | Agriculture |
| V. Ramaiah | Public Works and Revenue |
| N. Nallasenapathi Sarkarai Mandradiar | Cooperation and Forests |
| G. Bhuvaraghan | Publicity and Information |
Kamaraj Plan
Kamaraj remained Chief Minister for three consecutive terms, winning elections in 1957 and 1962. Kamaraj noticed that the Congress party was slowly losing its vigor. He came up with a plan which was called the "Kamaraj Plan".
In 1963 he suggested to Nehru that senior Congress leaders should leave ministerial posts to take up organisational work. This suggestion came to be known as the Kamaraj Plan, which was designed primarily to dispel from the minds of Congressmen the lure for power, creating in its place a dedicated attachment to the objectives and policies of the organisation. Well impressed by the achievements and acumen of Kamraj, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru felt that his services were needed more at the national level. In a swift move he brought Kamaraj to Delhi as the President of the Indian National Congress. Nehru realized that if he had wide learning and vision, Kamaraj possessed enormous common sense and pragmatism. Kamaraj was elected President, Indian National Congress, on 9 October 1963.[49]
The King Maker
After Nehru's death in 1964, Kamaraj successfully navigated the party through the turbulent times. As the president of the Indian National Congress, he refused to become the next prime minister himself and was instrumental in bringing to power two Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi in 1966. For this role, he is widely acclaimed as the "King Maker" during the 1960s.Split of Congress
When the Congress split in 1969, Kamaraj became the leader of the INC (O) in Tamil Nadu. The party fared poorly in the 1971 elections amid allegations of fraud by the opposition parties. He remained as the leader of INC (O) till his death in 1975.Electoral history
| Year | Post | Constituency | Party | Opponent | Election | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | M.L.A | Sattur | INC | Unopposed | 1937 elections | Won |
| 1946 | M.L.A | Sattur-Aruppukottai | INC | Unopposed | 1946 elections | Won |
| 1952 | M.P | Srivilliputtur | INC | G. D. Naidu | Indian General Elections, 1951 | Won |
| 1954 | M.L.A | Gudiyatham | INC | V. K. Kothandaraman | By Election | Won |
| 1957 | M.L.A | Sattur | INC | Jayarama Reddiar | Madras legislative assembly election, 1957 | Won |
| 1962 | M.L.A | Sattur | INC | P. Ramamoorthy | Madras legislative assembly election, 1962 | Won |
| 1967 | M.L.A | Virudhunagar | INC | P. Seenivasan | Tamil Nadu state assembly election, 1967 | Lost |
| 1969 | M.P | Nagercoil | INC | M. Mathias | By Election | Won |
| 1971 | M.P | Nagercoil | INC (O) | M. C. Balan | Indian General Elections, 1971 | Won |
Death
No comments:
Post a Comment