Chief Ministership of Rajagopalachari
Encyclopedia
C. Rajagopalachari
(aka Rajaji) was a Chief Minister of erstwhile Madras Presidency
of British India and Tamil Nadu
of Independent India
. He was the first Indian National Congress
member to assume office in Madras Presidency. He served as a Chief Minister for two terms spanning about 5 years. He was elected as a Chief Minister after 1937 elections in Madras Presidency
and served till 1939. He was also the first Chief Minister to serve the Madras State
after first elections held after Indian independence. His second term lasted from 1952 till 1954.
and legislative council
was conducted in 1937. This was the first election conducted after the creation of a bicameral legislature by Government of India Act of 1935. Indian National Congress
won 159 of the 215 seats in the assembly and 27 of the 56 seats in the council. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the Council, the Congress was hesitant to form a Government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the Governor by the Government of India Act of 1935. According to the act, the Governor was given special responsibilities in the area of Finance and control and absolute discretionary powers over the cabinet in certain other issues. The Governor had the power to overrule the Cabinet. The Congress refused to accept power (in all the six provinces where they had won) with such caveats.
The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine
, decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri was first offered the Chief Ministership of the interim government but he refused to accept it. Eventually an interim Government was formed with Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
of the Justice Party as Chief Minister on 1 April 1937. Congress leaders like S. Satyamurti
were apprehensive about the decision to not accept power. They carried out a campaign to convince Congress High Command (Gandhi and Nehru) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, Viceroy Linlithgow
issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act.
On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Rajaji was sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Changes
in September 1937. This was the first time it was ever introduced in India. In order to offset the loss of revenue, he also introduced sales tax for the first time. The Act penalised manufacture, traffic in and consumption of liquor and intoxicating drungs in areas of Presidency it was introduced. It was first introduced in his home district of Salem
on 1 October 1937. It was to be expanded to Chittoor
and Cuddapah districts on 1 October 1938 and to North Arcot
district in 1 October 1939. A provision was included in the Bill at the insistence of the Governor that British officials to be exmpted from the Prohibition. Government had a system to grant permits to individuals who consume foreign liquor. The Governor had given an order that all Europeans who apply for liquor licenses to be granted one. People could travel to areas in Presidency where the Prohibition was not enforced for consumption of liquors. There was system to regulate licensed clubs, wine for religious purposes in Churches, and brandy in Hospital for Medical purposes. Licenses were also given for toddy tapping.
Changes
Government of the Madras State
, led by C. Rajagopalachari
(Rajaji) in 1953. The scheme proposed the introduction of two shifts or sessions in elementary schools. In one session regular teaching would be done and during the second session, the students would be sent home to learn the occupations of their parents. It became controversial and was accused of being a casteist scheme to perpetuate the caste hierarchy. The opposition to the scheme was led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK). Public opposition and internal dissent within the congress led to the deferment of the scheme. The discontent it triggered among the Congress legislature members forced the resignation of Rajaji as Chief Minister. The scheme was dropped completely by Rajaji's successor Kamaraj
in 1954.
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
(aka Rajaji) was a Chief Minister of erstwhile Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India 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...
of Independent India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was the first Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
member to assume office in Madras Presidency. He served as a Chief Minister for two terms spanning about 5 years. He was elected as a Chief Minister after 1937 elections in Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
and served till 1939. He was also the first Chief Minister to serve the Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....
after first elections held after Indian independence. His second term lasted from 1952 till 1954.
Election win
Elections to the Madras Legislative assemblyLegislature of Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the sole house of the unicameral Tamil Nadu Legislature. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly alone has powers to legislate laws covering state subjects in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 235 members of whom 234 are democratically elected...
and legislative council
Madras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...
was conducted in 1937. This was the first election conducted after the creation of a bicameral legislature by Government of India Act of 1935. Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
won 159 of the 215 seats in the assembly and 27 of the 56 seats in the council. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the Council, the Congress was hesitant to form a Government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the Governor by the Government of India Act of 1935. According to the act, the Governor was given special responsibilities in the area of Finance and control and absolute discretionary powers over the cabinet in certain other issues. The Governor had the power to overrule the Cabinet. The Congress refused to accept power (in all the six provinces where they had won) with such caveats.
The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine
John Erskine, Lord Erskine
John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine GCSI, GCIE was a British soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare and Brighton...
, decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri was first offered the Chief Ministership of the interim government but he refused to accept it. Eventually an interim Government was formed with Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu KCSI was an Indian lawyer, professor, politician and Justice Party leader who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from April 1, 1937 to July 14, 1937...
of the Justice Party as Chief Minister on 1 April 1937. Congress leaders like S. Satyamurti
S. Satyamurti
S. Satyamurti was an Indian politician and patriot. A protege of S. Srinivasa Iyengar, Satyamurti was the political mentor of Kumaraswami Kamaraj....
were apprehensive about the decision to not accept power. They carried out a campaign to convince Congress High Command (Gandhi and Nehru) to accept power within the limitations set by the Government of India Act. They also appealed to the British Government to give assurances that the Governor's special powers will not be misused. On 22 June, Viceroy Linlithgow
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
issued a statement expressing the British Government's desire to work with the Congress in implementing the 1935 Act.
On 1 July, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) agreed to form Governments in the provinces they had won. On 14 July, Rajaji was sworn in as the Chief Minister.
Cabinet
Council of Ministers in Rajagopalachari's Cabinet (15 July 1937 - 29 October 1939):| Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| C. Rajagopalachari | Chief Minister, Public and Finance |
| T. Prakasam Tanguturi Prakasam Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu was an Indian politician and Freedom Fighter and the first Chief Minister of the Indian province Andhra state... |
Revenue |
| P. Subbarayan P. Subbarayan Paramasiva Subbarayan was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, India's ambassador to Indonesia and Union Minister of Transport and Communications in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He is the father of General P. P... |
Law and Education |
| V. V. Giri V. V. Giri Varahagiri Venkata Giri , commonly known as V. V. Giri, was the fourth President of the Republic of India from 24 August 1969 to 23 August 1974.-Early life:... |
Labour and Industries |
| Bezawada Gopala Reddy Bezawada Gopala Reddy Bezawada Gopala Reddy was an Indian politician. He was Chief Minister of Andhra State and Governor of Uttar Pradesh .-See also:*List of Chief Ministers of Andhra PradeshMember A.I.C.C., since 1931 ; M.L.A., Madras, 1937–46 ; was... |
Local Administration |
| T. S. S. Rajan T. S. S. Rajan Tiruvengimalai Sesha Sundara Rajan was an Indian doctor, politician and freedom-fighter who served the Minister of Public Health and Religious Endowments in the Madras Presidency from 1937 to 1939.... |
Public Health and Religious Endowments |
| Maulana Yakub Hasan Sait | Public Works |
| V. I. Munuswamy Pillai V. I. Munuswamy Pillai Rao Sahib V. I. Munuswamy Pillai also spelled as Munisami Pillai, was an Indian businessman, politician, Dalit activist and activist of the Indian independence movement who served as the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the government of C... |
Agriculture and Rural Development |
| S. Ramanathan Pillai | Public Information and Administration Reports |
| Kongattil Raman Menon | Courts and Prisons |
| C. J. Varkey, Chunkath C. J. Varkey, Chunkath Chunkath Joseph Varkey KSG was an Indian professor, journalist and a former Minister for Education of the Madras Presidency.-Biography:... |
Education |
Changes
- On 7 January 1939, Raman Menon died and C. J. Varkey, was inducted into the cabinet. Education portfolio was transferred from Subbarayan to Varkey and instead Subbarayan was given additional charge of Courts and Prisons.
Prohibition
Rajaji introduced The Prohibition ActProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in September 1937. This was the first time it was ever introduced in India. In order to offset the loss of revenue, he also introduced sales tax for the first time. The Act penalised manufacture, traffic in and consumption of liquor and intoxicating drungs in areas of Presidency it was introduced. It was first introduced in his home district of Salem
Salem District
Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur...
on 1 October 1937. It was to be expanded to Chittoor
Chittoor
Chittoor also known as Chittur, is a City and municipal corporation located in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is conveniently located on major highways linking the cities of Bangalore and Chennai....
and Cuddapah districts on 1 October 1938 and to North Arcot
North Arcot
The Indian District of North Arcot was split on 30-09-1989 into Tiruvannamalai-Sambuvarayar and North Arcot Ambedkar .- History :...
district in 1 October 1939. A provision was included in the Bill at the insistence of the Governor that British officials to be exmpted from the Prohibition. Government had a system to grant permits to individuals who consume foreign liquor. The Governor had given an order that all Europeans who apply for liquor licenses to be granted one. People could travel to areas in Presidency where the Prohibition was not enforced for consumption of liquors. There was system to regulate licensed clubs, wine for religious purposes in Churches, and brandy in Hospital for Medical purposes. Licenses were also given for toddy tapping.
Temple Entry Act
Rajai who initially supported the idea of a Temple Entry Bill proposed by M. C. Raja in January 1938 backed off later and instead, supported the passage of Malabar Temple Entry Act. The Act paved the wave for entry of Harijans in temple in Malabar regions if the caste Hindus in the particular area did not object to it. M. C. Raja filed a complaint to Gandhi in disappointment to this modified Act. His government later passed Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act in 1939.Election win
The 1952 election, the first election in Tamil Nadu after Indian independence produced no party with a clear majority. However, Indian National Congress emerged as the biggest party. Rajaji was invited by Sri Prakasa to form the Government on 1 April 1952 and was sworn in on 10 April 1952. He refused to run for a by-election and the Governor nominated him for the assembly's upper house (Legislative Council). In July 1952 he was able to win a vote of confidence with the support of 200 members with 151 opposing the confidence motion.Cabinet
| Minister | Portfolio |
|---|---|
| C. Rajagopalachari C. Rajagopalachari Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India... |
Chief Minister, Public and Police |
| A. B. Shetty A. B. Shetty Attavar Balakrishna Shetty better known as A. B. Shetty was an Indian politician, philanthropist, entrepreneur and the founder of Vijaya Bank.- Biography :... |
Health |
| C. Subramaniam | Finance, Food and Elections |
| K. Venkataswamy Naidu K. Venkataswamy Naidu K. Venkataswamy Naidu was an Indian lawyer and politician from the Tamil Nadu, belonging to Indian National Congress. He served as the Mayor of Madras in the late 1930s. During 1952-54, he was the Minister for Religious endowments and Registration of Madras State.... |
Religious Endowments and Registration |
| N. Ranga Reddi | Public Works |
| M. V. Krishna Rao | Education, Harijan Uplift and Information |
| V. C. Palanisami Gounder | Prohibition |
| U. Krishna Rao U. Krishna Rao U. Krishna Rao or U.Krishna Rau was an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madras state . He was a medical doctor by profession and co-edited a medical journal called Antiseptic founded by his father U. Rama Rao and T. M. Nair... |
Industries, Labour, Motor Transport, Railways, Posts, Telegraphs and Civil Avaiation |
| R. Nagana Goud | Agriculture, Forests, veterinary, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Cinchona |
| N. Sankara Reddi | Local Administration |
| M. A. Manickavelu Naicker M. A. Manickavelu Naicker M. Alagappa Manickavelu Naicker or simply, M. A. Manickavelu was an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress. He served as the Minister of Revenue for the Madras state from 1953 to 1962. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1962 to 1964... |
Land Revenue |
| K. P. Kuttikrishnan Nair | Courts, Prisons and Legal Department |
| Raja Sri Shanmuga Rajeswara Sethupathi Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi or Naganatha Sethupathi was an Indian politician of the Justice Party and later, the Indian National Congress and head of the zamindari of Ramnad from 1929 to 1967. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1951 to 1967 and served as a minister in C.... |
House Rent Control |
| S. B. B. Pattabirama Rao | Rural Welfare, Commercial Taxes and Scheduled areas |
| D. Sanjeevayya | Cooperation and Housing |
Changes
- The portfolios of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries, Cin-chona, Rural Welfare, Community Projects and National Extension Schemes were handed over to M. BhaktavatsalamM. BhaktavatsalamMinjur Bhaktavatsalam was an Indian lawyer, politician and freedom fighter from the state of Tamil Nadu. He served as the Chief Minister of Madras state from October 2, 1963 to March 6, 1967...
on October 9, 1953. - C. Subramaniam was given the additional portfolios of education, information and publicity.
- V. C. Palaniswamy Gounder was put in charge of Veterinary, Animal Husbandry and Harijan welfare.
Hereditary education policy
The Modified Scheme of Elementary Education or New Scheme of Elementary Education or Madras Scheme of Elementary Education called by its critics as Kula Kalvi Thittam (Hereditary Education Policy), was an abortive attempt at education reform introduced by the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
Government of the Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....
, led by C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
(Rajaji) in 1953. The scheme proposed the introduction of two shifts or sessions in elementary schools. In one session regular teaching would be done and during the second session, the students would be sent home to learn the occupations of their parents. It became controversial and was accused of being a casteist scheme to perpetuate the caste hierarchy. The opposition to the scheme was led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
(DMK). Public opposition and internal dissent within the congress led to the deferment of the scheme. The discontent it triggered among the Congress legislature members forced the resignation of Rajaji as Chief Minister. The scheme was dropped completely by Rajaji's successor Kamaraj
K. Kamaraj
Kumarasami Kamaraj better known as K. Kamaraj was an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu during 1954-1963 and a Member of Parliament during 1952-1954 and 1969-1975...
in 1954.