11th January 1991 Morarji Desai Was Awarded The Bharat Ratna And Also Conferred Nisha- E - Pakistan By President Ghulam Ishaq Khan In 1990

1894 – Ghanshyam Das Birla, a renowned industrialist, was born. He was the Grandson of Shiv Narain Birla, the fore-father of the influential Birla family. He was also a close friend and associate of Mahatma Gandhi, who spent his last few months in Birla House, Delhi. Starting his career as a Cotton Dealer in Calcutta (now Kolkata), he went on to join his family business of Opium, silver, spice and other trades. In spite of facing a number of obstacles from the British, he was successful in establishing and running a jute industry known today as ‘Birla Jute’, the flagship company of Aditya Birla Group. Later he diversified his business into textiles, cement, steel, tea, and even cars giving birth to ‘Hindustan Motors’.

Ghanshyam Das Birla is the founder of Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences (TIT&S) founded in Bhiwani in 1943 and Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani (1964), both evolving to develop into one the best institutions of India. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, in 1957.

1986 – Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia was born. Featuring first in the Complan ad campaign, this ‘Complan Girl’ made her bollywood debut with ‘Taarzan: The Wonder Car’ (2004) for which she bagged the Filmfare Best Debut Award. She was the lead actress in ‘Dor’ (2006) which bagged her several awards. Her latest blockbuster hit was ‘Wanted’ (2009) with Superstar Salman Khan.

1995 – Prominent Indian independence activist, Morarji Desai, passed away. He was India’s fourth Prime Minister and also the first Prime Minister to head the India’s first non-Congress Government. A staunch supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, he is internationally known for his peace activism for restoring peace with China and Pakistan. He was a key person in the Indian nuclear program during Pokhran-I . He is the only Indian to be conferred with Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was honoured to him by Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990. In 1991, the Government of India awarded him the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.

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Morarji Desai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morarji Desai

5th Prime Minister of India
In office 24 March 1977 – 28 July 1979
President	Basappa Danappa Jatti (Acting) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Preceded by	Indira Gandhi
Succeeded by	Charan Singh
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1 July 1978 – 28 July 1979
Preceded by	Charan Singh
Succeeded by	Yashwantrao Chavan
Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Vallabhbhai Patel
Succeeded by	Charan Singh Jagjivan Ram
Minister of Finance
In office 13 March 1967 – 16 July 1969
Prime Minister	Indira Gandhi
Preceded by	Sachindra Chaudhuri
Succeeded by	Indira Gandhi
In office 13 March 1958 – 29 August 1963
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari
Personal details
Born	29 February 1896 Bhadeli, Bombay Presidency,British India
Died	10 April 1995 (aged 99) New Delhi, Delhi, India
Political party	Janata Dal (1988–1995)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress(Before 1969) Indian National Congress-Organisation (1969–1977) Janata Party (1977–1988)
Spouse(s)	Gujraben
Alma mater	Wilson College
Profession	civil servant Activist
Religion	Hinduism

Morarji Desai (29 Feb 1896 – 10 April 1995), was a notable Indian independence activist and the fifth Prime Minister of India from 1977 - 1979. He was also the first Prime Minister to head India's first non-Congress Government. He held many important posts in the Government of India such as: Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister andDeputy Prime Minister of India. At foreign fronts, Desai holds international fame for his peace activism and made notable efforts to initiate peace between two-rival South Asian states, Pakistan and India. After India's firstnuclear explosion in 1974, Desai helped restore friendly relations with Chinaand Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict such as Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. Domestically, he played crucial role in Indian nuclear program after it was targeted by major nuclear powers after conducting a surprise test in 1974. Morarji Desai closed down much of India's premier intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), and reduced its budget and operations. Morarji Desai indiscreetly told Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator General Zia ul-Haq that his government was well aware of Pakistan's nuclear development which prompted the Pakistani government in removing all spies from around its nuclear research facilities and thus finally being successful in its nuclear dream.^[1] Desai was the only Indian national to be conferred with Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 in a colorful ceremony. Later, his policies promoted social, health andadministrative reforms in the country.

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EARLY LIFE[EDIT]

Morarji Desai was born into an Anavil Brahmin family at Bhadeli village, Bulsar district in the Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat) on 29 February 1896, the oldest of eight children. His father was a school teacher.^[2] Desai underwent his primary schooling in Saurashtra The Kundla School,Savarkundla now called J.V. Modi school and later joined Bai Ava Bai High School, Valsad. After graduating from Wilson College, Mumbai, he joined the civil service in Gujarat. Desai resigned as deputy collector of Godhra in May 1930 after being found guilty of going soft on Hindus during the riots of 1927-28 there.^[3] Desai then joined the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi and joined the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India. He spent many years in jail during the freedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, he became a favourite amongst freedom-fighters and an important leader of the Indian National Congress in Gujarat. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and 1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of theBombay Presidency.

IN GOVERNMENT[EDIT]

Morarji Desai in 1937, as CongressHome Minister of Bombay Presidency

Before the independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and later was elected as Chief Minister of Bombay State in 1952. The state was a bi-lingual state, home to Gujarati-speakingand Marathi-speaking people. Since 1956, activist organization Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti led a movement for a Marathi-only speaking state ofMaharashtra. A staunch nationalist himself, Morarji Desai was opposed to such movements, including the Mahagujarat Movement led by Indulal Yagnikdemanding a new state of Gujarat. Desai proposed that the metropolitan Mumbai(as coined by earlier Koli inhabitants), be made into a union territory or a separate development region to suit its cosmopolitan nature, due to its long-settled citizens from diverse settings across various linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds spanning several generations. In opposition to his alleged Gandhian thoughts, Desai ordered police to fire on demonstrators of the Mumbai-unit of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti at Flora Fountain who had gathered there to demonstrate against government. The protesters were led by Senapati Bapat. Desai ordered firing which killed 105 protesters including an eleven year old girl during the incident. This escalated the issue and is believed to have forced the Federal Government to agree to two separate states based on language. After the formation of the present State of Maharashtra, Bombay, now Mumbai became its state capital. Flora Fountain was renamed "Hutatma Chowk" ("Martyrs' Square" in Marathi) to honour the 105 people killed in the firing. Later Desai moved to Delhi when he was inducted as Home Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Nehru.

As Home Minister, Desai outlawed any portrayals of indecency (which included "kissing" scenes) in films and theatrical productions. Being a staunch Gandhian, Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies.

Rising in Congress leadership, as a fierce nationalistic and with anti-corruption leanings, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health failing, he was considered as a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister. Outflanked in the leadership contest after Nehru's death in 1964 by the Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai remained content to build support within the ranks.

In early 1966, the unexpected passing away of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri after only 18 months in power, made Morarji Desai once again a contender for the top position. However, he was defeated by Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, in the Congress party leadership election by a narrow margin. Desai served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of India in the Indira Gandhi government until 1969 when Prime Minister Mrs. Gandhi took the finance portfolio from him. At the same time, she also nationalized the fourteen largest banks in India. These acts compelled Morarji Desai to resign from the Gandhi cabinet. In the subsequent split of the Congress party, Morarji joined the Indian National Congress (Organisation) faction of the party, whereas Mrs. Gandhi formed a new faction called Indian National Congress (Ruling). Alternatively, the two factions of Desai and Indira were called Syndicate and Indicate respectively. The 1971 general elections to the Indian parliament were won by Indira Gandhi's faction in a landslide. Morarji Desai, however, was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha or lower house of Parliament. Morarji Desai went on indefinite hunger strike on 12 March 1975 to support Nav Nirman movement of Gujarat.^[4]

In 1975, Indira Gandhi was convicted of electoral fraud by the Allahbad High Court, after opponents alleged she had used government civil servants and equipment during the campaign for the 1971 General Elections. ^[5] During the subsequent Emergency rule in 1975–77, in a massive crackdown, Desai and other opposition leaders were jailed by the Indira Gandhi government.

The popular anti-corruption movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan and the anti-Emergency wave in 1977 led to the complete routing of the Congress party in Northern India, and a landslide victory for the opposition Janata alliance in the National elections held in March 1977. Morarji Desai was selected by the Janata alliance, later Janata Party as their parliamentary leader, and thus became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.

PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA (1977-79)[EDIT]

Main article: Premiership of Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai (third from right, front row) with US President Jimmy Carterduring his January 1978 visit to India.

Desai with Romanian PresidentNicolae Ceauşescu in Delhi in May 1978.

Desai and Carter in the Oval Officein June 1978.

After Indira Gandhi decided to lift The Emergency, general elections were held. Janata Party registered a landslide victory in the election and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Desai worked to improve relations with neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and restored normal relations with China, for the first time since the 1962 war. He communicated with Zia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Diplomatic relations were also re-established with China. His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergencyand made it difficult for any future government to impose a national emergency. However, the Janata Party coalition, was full of personal and policy friction and thus failed to achieve much owing to continuous in-wrangling and much controversy. With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses worsened the fortunes of his administration.

Since India's first nuclear test in 1974, Desai kept India's nuclear reactors stating "they will never be used for atomic bombs, and I will see to it if I can help it".^[6] In 1977, the Carter administration sold India, heavy water and uranium for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal.^[7]

Feud with R&AW[edit]

Morarji Desai had described the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency, as the praetorian guard of Indira Gandhi and had promised to stop all activities of the R&AW after becoming prime minister. He closed down much of the agency, and reduced its budget and operations. B. Raman, the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of R&AW and noted security analyst, reveals that, in an unguarded moment, Morarji Desai indiscreetly told Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator General Zia ul-Haq that his government was well aware of Pakistan's nuclear development which prompted the Pakistani government in removing all spies from around its nuclear research facilities and thus finally being successful in its nuclear dream.^[8]

Retirement and death[edit]

In 1979, Raj Narain and Charan Singh pulled out of the Janata Party, forcing Desai to resign from office and retire from politics at the age of 83. The chief reason for the collapse was the demand by the duo and other left leaning members likeMadhu Limaye, Krishan Kant and George Fernandes that no member of the Janata party could simultaneously be a member of an alternative social or political organisation. This attack on dual membership was directed specifically at members of the Janata party who had been members of the Jan Sangh, and continued to be members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Jan Sangh's ideological parent.^[9]

Morarji Desai campaigned for Janata Party in 1980 General Election as a senior politician but did not contest the election himself. , In retirement, he lived in Mumbai, and died at the age of 99. He had been honoured much in his last years as a freedom-fighter of his generation.

Morarji Desai was a strict follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles and a moralist. He was a vegetarian "both by birth and by conviction."^[10]

SOCIAL SERVICE[EDIT]

Morarji Desai was a Gandhian follower, social worker, institution builder and a great reformer. He was the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith. Even during his term as the Prime Minister he used to visit and stay at Vidyapith during the month of October. He lived simply and used to write post cards himself even when he held the office of Prime Minister. Sardar Patel deputed him to conduct meetings of farmers in Kaira district which finally led to the establishment of the Amul Cooperative movement. During his rule, he withdrew intervention in Public Distribution System and rationing shops were literally lost due to cheap sugar and oil available in the market.

PERSONAL LIFE AND FAMILY[EDIT]

Morarji Desai married Gujraben in 1911.^[11] He is survived by his son Kanti Desai, and grandsons Jagdeep and Bharat Desai. The only one to hold any political ambition is Madhukeshwar Desai, one of his great grand sons, son of Jagdeep Desai,^[12] who has taken it upon himself to revive the legacy of his illustrious great grandfather.^[13] Madhukeshwar Desaiis the National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.^[14]

Vishaal Desai, son of Bharat Desai, is a writer and filmmaker ^[15] who graduated from The London Film School in 2009^[16]^[17]

In 1978, Prime Minister Morarji Desai, a longtime practitioner of "urine therapy", spoke to Dan Rather on 60 Minutes about the benefits of drinking urine. Desai stated that drinking urine was the perfect medical solution for the millions of Indians who cannot afford medical treatment.,^[18]^[19]

REFERENCES[EDIT]

Jump up^ "Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane" by B. Raman
Jump up^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-morarji-desai-1615165.html
Jump up^ Ajay Umat & Harit Mehta (10 Jun 2013). "Can Narendra Modi follow in Morarji Desai's footsteps?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
Jump up^ Krishna, Ananth V. (2011). India Since Independence: Making Sense Of Indian Politics. Pearson Education India. p. 117.ISBN 9788131734650. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
Jump up^ "Indira Gandhi convicted of election fraud — History.com This Day in History — 6/12/1975". History.com. Retrieved2013-07-10.
Jump up^ "The World: Morarji Desai: The Ascetic Activist". Retrieved 19 March 2014.
Jump up^ "Nation: Jimmy's Journey: Mostly Pluses". Retrieved 19 March 2014.
Jump up^ "Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane" by B. Raman
Jump up^ "In Pursuit of Lakshmi: The Political Economy of the Indian State", By Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne H. Rudolph, University of Chicago Press, 1987. pp 457–459.
Jump up^ Shri Morarji Desai, In my view, 1966, pp. 234–235.
Jump up^ Dubey, Scharada (2009). Movers and Shakers Prime Minister of India. Westland. p. Morarji Desai Section Page 1. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
Jump up^ Khanna, Summit (11 April 2010). "Morarji's 3G scion to enter politics". Daily News and Analysis (DNA) (Ahmedabad). DNA. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
Jump up^ Yagnik, Bharat (11 April 2010). "Great-grandson to revive Morarjis legacy in state". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved4 February 2012."Morarji's great grandson to revive legacy".
Jump up^ "Morarji Desai's great grandson Madhukeshwar joins BJP's youth wing as vice-president". The Economic Times. 30 May 2013.
Jump up^ "A lightly carried legacy". The Afternoon.
Jump up^ "Ready to go". The Afternoon.
Jump up^ "Yes we Cannes". Mid Day.
Jump up^ Chowdhury, Prasenjit (27 July 2009). "Curative Elixir: Waters Of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2009-06-30.
Jump up^ Tietze, Harald (1996). Urine the Holy Water. p. 16. ISBN 0846451905.

EXTERNAL LINKS[EDIT]

Media related to Morarji Desai at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Jawaharlal Nehru	Minister of Finance 1958–1963	Succeeded by Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari
Preceded by Vallabhbhai Patel	Deputy Prime Minister of India 1967–1969	Succeeded by Charan Singh
Preceded by Vallabhbhai Patel	Deputy Prime Minister of India 1967–1969	Succeeded by Jagjivan Ram
Preceded by Sachindra Chaudhuri	Minister of Finance 1967–1969	Succeeded by Indira Gandhi
Preceded by Indira Gandhi	Prime Minister of India 1977–1979	Succeeded by Charan Singh
Preceded by Indira Gandhi	Chairperson of the Planning Commission 1977–1979	Succeeded by Charan Singh
Preceded by Charan Singh	Minister of Home Affairs 1978–1979	Succeeded by Yashwantrao Chavan
Preceded by B. G. Kher	Chief Minister of Bombay State 1952-1957	Succeeded by Yashwantrao Chavan

[show] v t e Prime Minister of India

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[show] v t e The Emergency of 1975–77

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11th January 1991 Morarji Desai Was Awarded The Bharat Ratna And Also Conferred Nisha- E - Pakistan By President Ghulam Ishaq Khan In 1990