Complete Biography of Bharat Ratna “Morarji Desai” in Paragraph
Complete Biography of Bharat
Ratna “Morarji Desai” in
Paragraph
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| Morarji Desai |
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai, popularly known as
Morarji Desai, is a dynamic personality, who rose to higher heights from a
humble beginning. Moarji was born ‘on 29 February 1896, in Bhadeli, a small
village three miles from Bulsar, in the Surat District of Gujarat in a middle
class Anavil Brahmin family. His life is full of conflicts — ups and downs —
out of which evolved the heroic character.
His father, Ranchhodji a
teacher, a strict disciplinarian, moulded his son’s mind into tough stuff,
which would not succumb to temptations. Timid as a child, Morarji consciously
cultivates fearlessness and asks people to be free from fear. He faces
challenges of life and finally triumphs. He started his career as a servant of
an alien government, but soon revolted and courted imprisonment on different
occasions. Gradually but relentlessly, he climbed up to the top position in the
public life of the country. He held high offices, but high offices had no hold
over him. He would not compromise his dignity for clinging to his position. He
courageously laid down the office of the Deputy Prime Minster of the world’s
largest democracy. Morarji’s father died when he was in the Matriculation and
soon after he was married, at 15 in 1911 to Gajaraben.
Morarji began his schooling at Bhadeli when he was
five, and had his primary education in his village and secondary education at
Bulsar. After passing the Matriculation examination’ in 191, he attended the
Wilson College, Bombay (1913 to 1917), from where he graduated with a First
Class Honours. He was a Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer in the University
Training Corps.
In response to the call of Mahatma Gandhi to Government servants to give up their jobs, Morarji resigned his post in 1930 and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. He remained a loyal Congressman ever since. During the next four years he was thrice imprisoned for participating in the freedom movement.In June and July 1930 Congress workers went from village to village to prepare the peasants for this campaign.Though Morarji did not join the Salt Satyagraha, he took an interest and actively participated in the no-tax campaign which began soon after. They believed the movement could be carried on successfully if they could persuade the peasants, who withheld their taxes, to migrate to the neighbouring territories of Baroda or such other Indian States to avoid harassment by the authorities. As the Indian States had their own police forces and judicial systems, independent of the British Indian administration, the British Indian police could not pursue them across the borders of the Indian States. In this campaign Morarji was active in Bardoli taluka. This was how he first got acquainted with the people of Bardoli. Kuvarjibhai Mehta and his colleagues were touring Bardoli taluka in connection with this work and Morarji joined them.
It was not easy to go about in Bardoli taluka on
foot at that time on account of the monsoon, but as Morarji was used to walking
a great deal he did not feel any difficulty. Kuvarjibhai had thought Morarji
would not be able to go from village to village, walking through the black soil
in the fields. He therefore asked Morarji whether he would be willing to do so.
Morarji told him that he was very willing and they moved about together. While
Kuvarjibhai would often tire of walking through the sticky soil, Morarji went
on without any fatigue. They became very good friends. After touring Bardoli,
Morarji also toured many villages in ‘Iroach and Kaira districts.
The Government declared the Congress illegal in
October 1930. Hariprasad Mehta, who was one of the Congress leaders of the
Ahmedabad District, was at that time working as the President of the Pradesh
Congress Committee. He nominated Morarji as the ‘Dictator’ after him. This was
how the work was carried on because the organisation had been declared illegal.
Morarji was arrested within about ten days of his taking charge of the Pradesh
Congress Committee.
He was tried for violating the law. He did not
defend himself and pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months’ rigorous
imprisonment and fined Rs.300, with one month’s extra imprisonment if he did
not pay the fine. This was how he went to jail for the first time. Later he was
imprisoned in 1932, 1934, 1940, 1942 and 1943. During his last jail period he read commentaries on the Gita, including that of Sri Aurobindo, and books on socialism. He also had an opportunity of reading the books of D. Alexis Carrel and Reinhold Niebuhr. This reading confirmed his faith in the values of life that he believed in.
Describing Morarji as an “exemplary politician and statesman with profound commitment to ethical values in public service”, Abdul Sattar said that Desai had demonstrated extraordinary courage and fortitude in the face of suffering and sacrifice, during the struggle for the liberation of country from alien rule. He added, Desai displayed laudable courage of conviction, convincing consistency between precepts and policies and high standards of probity in decision-making. Desai said he was glad to receive the award and expressed hope that friendship between the two countries would further strengthen.
In
jail he had an opportunity for clearing his thoughts through frequent
discussions with different colleagues on political, economic and social
problems. All these discussions convinced him about the correctness of his
faith in religion and in the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. His faith became
clearer and more specific. He used to recite the Gita once or twice a day and
used to think over it. This made it easier for him to pass the various tests
that life put him through. It also helped him to understand the Gita fully.
Without this stay in jail, he felt that he would not have understood all this
and implemented it in his life.
He
had read some books on political and religious subjects when he was in jail in
1932-33. Amongst them were books on communism and socialism. Communism had no
attraction for him and he considered only socialism the proper means to abolish
poverty which was in accordance with the
principles of Gandhi. He had no doubt left in his mind that sarvodaya, which Mahatma
Gandhi gave to them, was the proper ideal. Morarji was elected a member the
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee and was also made its Secretary, in which
capacity he continued for six years (1931-37) and again from 1939 to 1946. He
has been a member of the All India Congress Committee since 1931. Morarji had
the privilege of meeting Sri Aurobindo on August 15, 1935 at the Pondicherry
Ashram. He bowed to Aurobindo and had the good fortune c-4 receiving his
blessing.
Morarji
started the Home Guards Organisation in Bombay State in December 1946 when he
realised from the violent communal riots and strikes that it was not possible
for the police alone to cope with the situation. In 1946, he was again elected
to the Bombay Legislative Assembly and served as Home and Revenue Minister from
1946 to 1952. Morarji lost in the first General Elections in 1952 by 19 votes. Later, after he was elected to
the Bombay Legislative Council, the Congress Legislative Party elected him its
leader unanimously and he became the Chief Minister of Bombay and cons cued in
that capacity till the reorganisation of States in 1956. He was instrumental in
introducing far reaching reforms in the land revenue administration and also in
police and jail reorganisation He thought of the peasant and tenant both and
enacted progress legislation for them, much before any State of India did
anything in this direction. His administration in Bombay State was known for
its efficiency, strength and integrity.
In
1937, Desai was elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly and was Minister for
Revenue and Forests in the first Congress Government (1937-39). After
relinquishing office in 1939, he participated in the Individual Civil
Disobedience Movement and was later detained for about three years in connection
with the 1942 Movement – the Quit India Movement.
On
March 22, 1958, II: took over the portfolio of Finance. He led the Indian
Delegation to the annual meetings of the Boards of Governors of the
International Monetary Fund and the International Bail for Reconstruction and
Development in New Bharat Ratnas 147
Delhi in 1958 and in Washington in 1959, 1960 and 1961. He also attended
the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference in Montreal in 1958 and the
Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Conference in London in 1960 and 1961. In July
1962, he paid a visit to Brussels, Bonn, Geneva, Paris and Rome to mobilise
foreign aid for India’s Third Five-Year Plan, and also Washington, Ottawa and
Tokyo during September-October 1962 for similar purposes.
Defence
through development, creation of a climate of confidence and initiative, export
promotion and austerity in government administration, public corporations and
companies in the private sector and the personal lives of the privileged
segments of the society formed the main theme of his economic and fiscal
policies. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1962 and 1967 General Elections from
Surat Constituency. He again became the Union Minister for Finance in 1962 in
Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet, but for strengthening the stability of the Congress
party he volunteered to retire under the Kamaraj Plan in August 1963. He was
then assigned the Chairmanship of the Administrative Reforms Commission,
Government of India, during 1966-67.
Desai
joined Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet in March 1967 as Finance Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister (1967-69). He made a goodwill visit to Japan in August 1967 and
a long foreign tour to London, Montreal, Washington, Rio-de-Janeiro, Port of
Spain, Paris and Bonn in September-October 1967. He resigned from the post of
Deputy Prime Minister in July 1969 following differences with the Prime
Minster. After the split in the Congress, he became the Chairman of the
Opposition Congress Party in Parliament in November 1969. He was imprisoned
during Emergency (June 1975- January 1977). Became first Chairman of Janata
Party in 1977. And later became Prime Minister of India in 1977 and held the
post till 1979.
Describing Morarji as an “exemplary politician and statesman with profound commitment to ethical values in public service”, Abdul Sattar said that Desai had demonstrated extraordinary courage and fortitude in the face of suffering and sacrifice, during the struggle for the liberation of country from alien rule. He added, Desai displayed laudable courage of conviction, convincing consistency between precepts and policies and high standards of probity in decision-making. Desai said he was glad to receive the award and expressed hope that friendship between the two countries would further strengthen.
Speaking
on the occasion, eminent jurist Nani Palkhiwala said that this function should
mark the beginning of an era that would prove the truth of prophecy made on
August 15, 1947 by Aurobindo Ghosh that one day India and Pakistan would come
together—may be a sort of confederation. This, he added, could change the
history of this region for the next 100 years. Instead of spending on armament,
India and Pakistan could devote themselves to the growth and welfare of their
people. Responding to the citation, 95-year-old Morarji Desai emphasised the
need for friendship and amity between India and Pakistan and claimed that the
relations between the two countries were most cordial when he was the Prime
Minister. He recalled how he had assured General Zia that Pakistan could always
count on India’s willing and liberal assistance in any hour of need. He was
confident that the award, so thoughtfully bestowed on him, would perpetuate the
type of cordiality that was generated between the two countries in 1978.
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