Mohan Lal Sukhadia
Encyclopedia
Mohan Lal Sukhadia was a political and social leader who served as Chief Minister of Rajasthan for 17 years (1954–1971). He became Chief Minister
at age of 38 years and was responsible for bringing major reforms and developments in Rajasthan
. He is still widely revered as ‘Founder of Modern Rajasthan’.
He also served as Governor of Karnataka, Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
.
, Rajasthan
.
His father, Purshottam Lal Sukhadia, was a well known cricketer
of the Bombay and Saurashtra
teams.
After completing primary education in Nathdwara and Udaipur, he went Mumbai
to attain Diploma in Electrical engineering from VJTI. Sukhadia got elected as General Secretary of student’s body in VJTI. Mr. Berley, British Principal of the college, wanted to invite governor of Bombay in a college ceremony. Sukhadia, along with other students, vehemently opposed the idea and asserted to invite then Chief Minister of Bombay Government Shri B. G. Kher
instead. Finally, college authorities had to bow down against the demands of students.
Sukhadia successfully led his first revolt against British Rule exemplifying his uncanny leadership abilities and managerial skills.
During college days, he came in contact with prominent national leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose
, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
, Yusuf Meherally
and Ashok Mehta. Sukhadia used to regularly attend meetings of congress workers and volunteers headed by Sardar Patel in Mumbai.
When he came back to Nathdwara, he started a small Electrical workshop.
This shop was essentially a meeting place where Sukhadia and his friends would discuss about the ubiquitous autocracies of British Rule and socio-economic reforms in the region.
Various education and social awareness programs were schemed and executed in the region by Sukhadia and his fellow workers.
He married to Indubala
on 1 June 1938 in Beawar
. This inter-caste marriage was not an ordinary event in those days of society. Reckoning a stiff backlash in Nathdwara and Udaipur, Sukhadia decided to perform the ceremony in Beawar adhering to customs of Arya Samaj
. When he returned to Nathdwara with Indubala, he was hailed by large number of his supporters. Young overjoyed supporters thronged the streets of Nathwara, steered a huge rally across the town and greeted him with slogans, “Mohan Bhaiya Jindabad”. This remained to be one of the most memorable and inspiring moments of his life. Sukhadia himself acknowledged this fact to one his protagonists few days before his death.
as its president. After one year of foundation, Mandal received a dose of fresh vigor with promising youth Mohal Lal Sukhadia joining it.
Freedom struggle in Rajasthan was facing twofold and threefold resistance in form of British raj, princely states and local zamidars. Sukhadia along with other activists traveled across remote tribal areas and villages of the region, established direct contact with local peasants and tribesmen, edified them about their constitutional rights and encouraged to espouse the national movement. Fearing the torment of their zamidars, most of the locals were reluctant to shelter national activists in their houses. Public workers were not allowed to enter Bhil villages as zamidars considered contact of activists with simple-minded peasants undesirable. Often they were beaten and arrested by police for entering Bhil villages.
In 1946, Praja Mandals of various states merged to form a state-wide oraganization and named it Rajputana Prantiya Sabha. Sukhadia was inducted in Executive Committee of this newly formed organization. Party meetings were held in one of the Rajputana provinces in every two-three months where representatives of different provinces discussed and debated on common problems of the states. Sukhadia’s matter-of-fact and efficient problem solving tactics were valued highly in these meetings that earned him recognition of top leaders in the state.
Responding to Mahatma Gandhi’s call of “Quit India” in 1942, entire Rajasthan plunged into Quit India Movement
with leaders like Manikya Lal Verma
, Heera Lal Shastri
, Gokulbhai Bhatt
, Jai Narayan Vyas
and Mohanlal Sukhadia playing instrumental role in channelizing it. Seeing the situation go beyond control, British Government decided to contain top leadership by incarcerating them. Sukhadia stayed in jail for one and half years at the age of 25.
Intense torrential rainfall of 1943 devastated Bhilwara
and nearby areas causing huge destruction of property and life. Sukhadia mobilized relief workers and arranged food supply, medicines and clothing for the people.
, 22 big and small princely States of Rajasthan(erstwhile Rajputana
) agreed to join Union of India. Their merger and unification took place in a phased manner over a period of 2 years.
In the first phase, four Princely States of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli formed the Matsya Union.
On 25 March 1948, Union of Rajasthan was formed comprising Banswara, Bundi, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kishangarh, Pratapgarh, Shahapura, Tonk, and Kota.
Three days after formation of Union of Rajasthan, Maharana of Udaipur decided to join Union of Rajasthan on 28 March 1948. It was formally inaugurated by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
on 18 April 1948 and cabinet was formed under the leadership of Manikya Lal Verma
.
Mohan Lal Sukhadia joined the cabinet as Irrigation and Labor Minister.
In the fourth phase, states of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Jodhpur merged with Union of Rajasthan. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel inaugurated unified Rajasthan on 30 March 1949 and Shri Heera Lal Shastri
formed the cabinet to become first Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
On 15 May 1949, Matsya Union
also merged with Rajasthan.
After Heera Lal Shasrti resigned from the post on 26 March 1951, Jai Narayan Vyas
took over his post. Sukhadia was appointed as minister in newly created cabinet.
First state Legislative elections of Rajasthan were held in 1952.
Tika Ram Paliwal
became Chief Minister on 3 March 1952 for a brief period of time. Jai Narayan Vyas replaced him on 1 November 1952. Sukhadia handled Revenue, Irrigation, Agriculture and other significant portfolios during this period.
After elections in 1952, 22 members of Ram Rajya Parishad
joined Congress Party on persuasion of Jai Narayan Vyas. However, congress workers objected to his decision as most of the Ram Rajya Parishad members were former zamirdars and believed this would affect ongoing land reforms in the state. Amidst growing resentment against Jai Narayan Vyas, Congress High command directed him to seek Vote of Confidence of Congress legislative members.
Veteran Jai Narayan Vyas was directly pitched against the 38 year-old Revenue Minister of his own cabinet, Shri Mohan Lal Sukhadia. First time in history of Democratic India, two people were openly contesting for post of Chief Minister. Sukhadia defeated him by 8 votes to become youngest Chief Minister of India. He continued on this post for record making 17 years(13 Nov 1954 - 8 Jul 1971). His record of longest-serving Chief Minister in Indian political history was untouched until Jyoti Basu
surpassed it in 1994.
Mohan Lal Sukhadia was one of the fifteen members of Executive Committee of Prantiya Sabha that consisted of prominent political elites of Rajasthan. Sukhadia along with other members of this committee played the crucial role of formulating and publicizing the policies and resolutions of the party.
Desire for the inclusion of party in Indian National Congress was finally realized in April 1948 at the Bombay session of All-India Congress organization, when Rajputana Prantiya Sabha was declared as one of the provincial units of Indian national Congress.
Initial years were impaired by instability within the party, which witnessed four chief ministers in less than first six years (1948–1954), until Sukhadia was given the responsibility of leading the government.
Major credit for deploying stability and institutionalization in Congress party goes to leadership abilities and political skills of Mohanlal Sukhadia. Serving on the post of Chief Minister for almost two decades clearly denotes the kind of support, affection and honor Sukahdia enjoyed from his party members and public.
Congress government under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru passed a law to abolish the zamindari system. Impact of law was very limited in beginning years as zamindars approached the Supreme Court challenging the orders. To come up with the backdrop, the Congress Government passed the Rajasthan Jagir Abolition Act in 1952.
With this Act, Jagirdari system in the state was abolished and the power of judicial review over these legislations was taken away from the courts and the fundamental right to the property was amended.
Sukhadia was given the challenging post of Revenue Minister in the cabinet, reckoning that land reforms would not be easy without establishing an efficient or uniform system of revenue administration.
When Sukhadia took over as Chief Minister in 1954, the challenging task of implementing the reforms lay ahead of him. Sukhadia's government passed Rajasthan Zamindari and Biswedari Abolition Act in 1959 that transferred the title of land to the tenants, doing away with centuries-old zamindari system in Rajasthan.
Factors like political influence of jagirdars and jamindars, confusing varieties of land system in the different princely states and lack of reliable land records made the implementation immensely difficult. Sukhadia confronted all these hindrances and led land reforms in the state successfully.
speech, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared the eradication of ‘ignorance and disease’ as one of the most crucial tasks that the country faced.
Challenge to eradicate ‘ignorance and disease’ was even bigger in Rajasthan as this was one of the least developed states in India at the end of British rule. During the early decades of the twentieth century Rajasthan had one of the lowest levels of education and highest levels of mortality of all provinces in India.
Sukhadia Era in Rajasthan witnessed a dramatic reversal of the colonial policy of almost complete neglect of the education and health sectors.
Sukhadia government’s commitment to the social sector is brought out by the fact that despite facing a very precarious budgetary situation, it steadily increased its expenditure on social service.
One of the clearest signals of this was decision of Sukhadia to retain the Education portfolio even after becoming the Chief Minister of the state.
Results were evident by the end of 1970. Rajasthan’s outlays on health and education were significantly higher than all other North-Central Indian states and all-India average. By 1969 Rajasthan’s education spending as a proportion of total SDP (3.2%) was double that of UP (1.5%). Similarly, in the health sector, Rajasthan’s expenditure grew to Rs. 8.23 per capita in 1970-71 whereas UP spent only Rs. 3.2
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
at age of 38 years and was responsible for bringing major reforms and developments in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. He is still widely revered as ‘Founder of Modern Rajasthan’.
He also served as Governor of Karnataka, Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Early life
Mohanlal Sukhadia was born in a Jain family of JhalawarJhalawar
Jhalawar is a city in southeastern Rajasthan. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the administrative headquarters of Jhalawar District. Jhalawar was once known as Brijnagar .-Jhalawar town:...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
.
His father, Purshottam Lal Sukhadia, was a well known cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
of the Bombay and Saurashtra
Saurashtra cricket team
Saurashtra is one of three cricket teams based in Gujarat which competes in the Ranji Trophy . Formerly known as Nawanagar cricket team it won the Ranji Trophy in 1936-37.-Competition history:...
teams.
After completing primary education in Nathdwara and Udaipur, he went Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to attain Diploma in Electrical engineering from VJTI. Sukhadia got elected as General Secretary of student’s body in VJTI. Mr. Berley, British Principal of the college, wanted to invite governor of Bombay in a college ceremony. Sukhadia, along with other students, vehemently opposed the idea and asserted to invite then Chief Minister of Bombay Government Shri B. G. Kher
B. G. Kher
Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher was the first chief minister of Bombay State which consisted of present day Maharastra and Gujrat States of India. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 1954...
instead. Finally, college authorities had to bow down against the demands of students.
Sukhadia successfully led his first revolt against British Rule exemplifying his uncanny leadership abilities and managerial skills.
During college days, he came in contact with prominent national leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose known by name Netaji was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain and the Western powers during World War II. Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in...
, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of India...
, Yusuf Meherally
Yusuf Meherally
Yusuf Meherally was an Indian freedom fighter and socialist leader. He was elected Mayor of Bombay in 1942 while he was imprisoned in Yerawada Central Prison....
and Ashok Mehta. Sukhadia used to regularly attend meetings of congress workers and volunteers headed by Sardar Patel in Mumbai.
When he came back to Nathdwara, he started a small Electrical workshop.
This shop was essentially a meeting place where Sukhadia and his friends would discuss about the ubiquitous autocracies of British Rule and socio-economic reforms in the region.
Various education and social awareness programs were schemed and executed in the region by Sukhadia and his fellow workers.
He married to Indubala
Indubala Sukhadia
Indubala Sukhadia, wife of late Mohanlal Sukhadia, was a social and political leader of Rajasthan. She was elected as Member of Parliament from Udaipur constituency in 1984....
on 1 June 1938 in Beawar
Beawar
Beawar is a city in Rajasthan, India. Beawar was the capital of Merwara state of Rajputana. As of 2011, the population of Beawar is 3,25,000. It is located southwest of the state capital Jaipur, amidst Aravali hills. It is an major centre of trade,especially in raw cotton, and has cotton...
. This inter-caste marriage was not an ordinary event in those days of society. Reckoning a stiff backlash in Nathdwara and Udaipur, Sukhadia decided to perform the ceremony in Beawar adhering to customs of Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
. When he returned to Nathdwara with Indubala, he was hailed by large number of his supporters. Young overjoyed supporters thronged the streets of Nathwara, steered a huge rally across the town and greeted him with slogans, “Mohan Bhaiya Jindabad”. This remained to be one of the most memorable and inspiring moments of his life. Sukhadia himself acknowledged this fact to one his protagonists few days before his death.
Contribution in Freedom Struggle
On account of excessive taxes and autocratic rule of princes and jagirdars, Praja Mandals were formed in different states of Rajputana. These mandals provided wider base to the agitation and direction to the civil right movement and administrative reforms in various princely states. In Udaipur state, Mewar Praja Mandal was founded in 1938 having renowned social activist and freedom fighter Manikya Lal VermaManikya Lal Verma
Manikya Lal Verma was a member of Constituent Assembly of India in 1949. He was chief minister of Rajasthan before full formation of the state. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1957 from Chittorgarh and in 1952 from Tonk. He was recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1965.He played pivotial role in Bijolia...
as its president. After one year of foundation, Mandal received a dose of fresh vigor with promising youth Mohal Lal Sukhadia joining it.
Freedom struggle in Rajasthan was facing twofold and threefold resistance in form of British raj, princely states and local zamidars. Sukhadia along with other activists traveled across remote tribal areas and villages of the region, established direct contact with local peasants and tribesmen, edified them about their constitutional rights and encouraged to espouse the national movement. Fearing the torment of their zamidars, most of the locals were reluctant to shelter national activists in their houses. Public workers were not allowed to enter Bhil villages as zamidars considered contact of activists with simple-minded peasants undesirable. Often they were beaten and arrested by police for entering Bhil villages.
In 1946, Praja Mandals of various states merged to form a state-wide oraganization and named it Rajputana Prantiya Sabha. Sukhadia was inducted in Executive Committee of this newly formed organization. Party meetings were held in one of the Rajputana provinces in every two-three months where representatives of different provinces discussed and debated on common problems of the states. Sukhadia’s matter-of-fact and efficient problem solving tactics were valued highly in these meetings that earned him recognition of top leaders in the state.
Responding to Mahatma Gandhi’s call of “Quit India” in 1942, entire Rajasthan plunged into Quit India Movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
with leaders like Manikya Lal Verma
Manikya Lal Verma
Manikya Lal Verma was a member of Constituent Assembly of India in 1949. He was chief minister of Rajasthan before full formation of the state. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1957 from Chittorgarh and in 1952 from Tonk. He was recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1965.He played pivotial role in Bijolia...
, Heera Lal Shastri
Heera Lal Shastri
Pandit Hiralal Shastri was an Indian politician and the first chief minister of Rajasthan state in northern India. He was in office from March 30, 1949 to January 5, 1951.-Early life:...
, Gokulbhai Bhatt
Gokulbhai Bhatt
Gokulbhai Bhatt was a freedom fighter and a social worker from Rajasthan state in India.He was a member of Constituent Assembley of India and chief minister of princely Sirohi state for a brief period. He along with 7 others founded Praja Mandal at Sirohi on 22nd Jan 1939...
, Jai Narayan Vyas
Jai Narayan Vyas
Jai Narayan Vyas was a former chief minister of the Indian state of Rajasthan. He hailed from Jodhpur city and was a leader of Indian National Congress party....
and Mohanlal Sukhadia playing instrumental role in channelizing it. Seeing the situation go beyond control, British Government decided to contain top leadership by incarcerating them. Sukhadia stayed in jail for one and half years at the age of 25.
Intense torrential rainfall of 1943 devastated Bhilwara
Bhilwara
Bhilwara is the city in Mewar region of Rajasthan, India. The Cloth & Industrial city has its own uniqueness which makes it as a special district in Rajasthan.Bhilwara "The City of Cloth Culture & Calmness"- History :...
and nearby areas causing huge destruction of property and life. Sukhadia mobilized relief workers and arranged food supply, medicines and clothing for the people.
Independence and Participation in Government
On 15 August 1947Independence Day (India)
The Independence Day of India is celebrated on the fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in...
, 22 big and small princely States of Rajasthan(erstwhile Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
) agreed to join Union of India. Their merger and unification took place in a phased manner over a period of 2 years.
In the first phase, four Princely States of Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli formed the Matsya Union.
On 25 March 1948, Union of Rajasthan was formed comprising Banswara, Bundi, Dungarpur, Jhalawar, Kishangarh, Pratapgarh, Shahapura, Tonk, and Kota.
Three days after formation of Union of Rajasthan, Maharana of Udaipur decided to join Union of Rajasthan on 28 March 1948. It was formally inaugurated by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
on 18 April 1948 and cabinet was formed under the leadership of Manikya Lal Verma
Manikya Lal Verma
Manikya Lal Verma was a member of Constituent Assembly of India in 1949. He was chief minister of Rajasthan before full formation of the state. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1957 from Chittorgarh and in 1952 from Tonk. He was recipient of Padma Bhushan in 1965.He played pivotial role in Bijolia...
.
Mohan Lal Sukhadia joined the cabinet as Irrigation and Labor Minister.
In the fourth phase, states of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jaipur and Jodhpur merged with Union of Rajasthan. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel inaugurated unified Rajasthan on 30 March 1949 and Shri Heera Lal Shastri
Heera Lal Shastri
Pandit Hiralal Shastri was an Indian politician and the first chief minister of Rajasthan state in northern India. He was in office from March 30, 1949 to January 5, 1951.-Early life:...
formed the cabinet to become first Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
On 15 May 1949, Matsya Union
Matsya Union
The United States of Matsya also called Matsya Union was a State of India which was formed on March 17, 1948 by the merger of four erstwhile princely states, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli after accession. Shobha Ram was the first and last chief minister of the State from 18 Mar 1948 till...
also merged with Rajasthan.
After Heera Lal Shasrti resigned from the post on 26 March 1951, Jai Narayan Vyas
Jai Narayan Vyas
Jai Narayan Vyas was a former chief minister of the Indian state of Rajasthan. He hailed from Jodhpur city and was a leader of Indian National Congress party....
took over his post. Sukhadia was appointed as minister in newly created cabinet.
First state Legislative elections of Rajasthan were held in 1952.
Tika Ram Paliwal
Tika Ram Paliwal
Tika Ram Paliwal was an Indian politician, who served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan from 3 March 1952 to 31 October 1952.Paliwal was born at Mandawar village in the present-day Mahuwa tehsil of Sawai Madhopur district. He was a prominent Indian independence activist. He was a minister in Jai...
became Chief Minister on 3 March 1952 for a brief period of time. Jai Narayan Vyas replaced him on 1 November 1952. Sukhadia handled Revenue, Irrigation, Agriculture and other significant portfolios during this period.
After elections in 1952, 22 members of Ram Rajya Parishad
Ram Rajya Parishad
Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad , was a traditionalist Hindu party in India. It was founded by Swami Karpatri in 1948. The Ram Rajya Parishad won three Lok Sabha seats in the 1952 elections and two in the 1962 elections. In 1952, 1957 and 1962, it won several dozen Vidhan Sabha seats, all in...
joined Congress Party on persuasion of Jai Narayan Vyas. However, congress workers objected to his decision as most of the Ram Rajya Parishad members were former zamirdars and believed this would affect ongoing land reforms in the state. Amidst growing resentment against Jai Narayan Vyas, Congress High command directed him to seek Vote of Confidence of Congress legislative members.
Veteran Jai Narayan Vyas was directly pitched against the 38 year-old Revenue Minister of his own cabinet, Shri Mohan Lal Sukhadia. First time in history of Democratic India, two people were openly contesting for post of Chief Minister. Sukhadia defeated him by 8 votes to become youngest Chief Minister of India. He continued on this post for record making 17 years(13 Nov 1954 - 8 Jul 1971). His record of longest-serving Chief Minister in Indian political history was untouched until Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu
Jyoti Basu was an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India from West Bengal, India. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any Indian state. Basu was a member of the CPI Politburo from the time of the...
surpassed it in 1994.
Founding and Development of Rajasthan Congress
Formation of Rajasthan Congress started in 1946 when Praja Mandals of various states merged into the Rajputana Prantiya Sabha to form a common decision making and organization framework.Mohan Lal Sukhadia was one of the fifteen members of Executive Committee of Prantiya Sabha that consisted of prominent political elites of Rajasthan. Sukhadia along with other members of this committee played the crucial role of formulating and publicizing the policies and resolutions of the party.
Desire for the inclusion of party in Indian National Congress was finally realized in April 1948 at the Bombay session of All-India Congress organization, when Rajputana Prantiya Sabha was declared as one of the provincial units of Indian national Congress.
Initial years were impaired by instability within the party, which witnessed four chief ministers in less than first six years (1948–1954), until Sukhadia was given the responsibility of leading the government.
Major credit for deploying stability and institutionalization in Congress party goes to leadership abilities and political skills of Mohanlal Sukhadia. Serving on the post of Chief Minister for almost two decades clearly denotes the kind of support, affection and honor Sukahdia enjoyed from his party members and public.
Land reforms in the state
Zamindari system, which had prevailed in Rajasthan for centuries, percolated deeply in socio-economic system of the state by the time of independence. Poor peasants were subjected to atrocities of their zamindars, had no right on the land they tilled and often had to pay very high land revenues.Congress government under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru passed a law to abolish the zamindari system. Impact of law was very limited in beginning years as zamindars approached the Supreme Court challenging the orders. To come up with the backdrop, the Congress Government passed the Rajasthan Jagir Abolition Act in 1952.
With this Act, Jagirdari system in the state was abolished and the power of judicial review over these legislations was taken away from the courts and the fundamental right to the property was amended.
Sukhadia was given the challenging post of Revenue Minister in the cabinet, reckoning that land reforms would not be easy without establishing an efficient or uniform system of revenue administration.
When Sukhadia took over as Chief Minister in 1954, the challenging task of implementing the reforms lay ahead of him. Sukhadia's government passed Rajasthan Zamindari and Biswedari Abolition Act in 1959 that transferred the title of land to the tenants, doing away with centuries-old zamindari system in Rajasthan.
Factors like political influence of jagirdars and jamindars, confusing varieties of land system in the different princely states and lack of reliable land records made the implementation immensely difficult. Sukhadia confronted all these hindrances and led land reforms in the state successfully.
Development in Health and Education Sector
In his famous tryst with destinyTryst with destiny
Tryst with Destiny was a speech made by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India. The speech was made to the Indian Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence, towards midnight on 14 August 1947. It focuses on the aspects that transcend India's history...
speech, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared the eradication of ‘ignorance and disease’ as one of the most crucial tasks that the country faced.
Challenge to eradicate ‘ignorance and disease’ was even bigger in Rajasthan as this was one of the least developed states in India at the end of British rule. During the early decades of the twentieth century Rajasthan had one of the lowest levels of education and highest levels of mortality of all provinces in India.
Sukhadia Era in Rajasthan witnessed a dramatic reversal of the colonial policy of almost complete neglect of the education and health sectors.
Sukhadia government’s commitment to the social sector is brought out by the fact that despite facing a very precarious budgetary situation, it steadily increased its expenditure on social service.
One of the clearest signals of this was decision of Sukhadia to retain the Education portfolio even after becoming the Chief Minister of the state.
Results were evident by the end of 1970. Rajasthan’s outlays on health and education were significantly higher than all other North-Central Indian states and all-India average. By 1969 Rajasthan’s education spending as a proportion of total SDP (3.2%) was double that of UP (1.5%). Similarly, in the health sector, Rajasthan’s expenditure grew to Rs. 8.23 per capita in 1970-71 whereas UP spent only Rs. 3.2
External links
- His Excellency Mohan Lal Sukhadia with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her visit to Raj Bhavan
- His Excellency Mohan Lal Sukhadia taking oath of Governorship from Chief Justice
- Stamp issued by Government of India in Honor of Mohan Lal Sukhadia
- Mohanlal Sukhadia visiting Wool Research Laboratories in Australia in 1963
- Link of Rajasthan Assembly