Dalits and weaker sections should draw inspiration from Jagjivan Ram'

Mangalore, April 5: Rich tributes were paid to former Deputy Prime Minister and the beloved national leader Ram Babu Jagjivan Jayanthi on his 104th birth anniversary celebrated at Netravati auditorium of Zilla Panchayat here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion Chairman of Coastal Development Authority B Nagaraj Shetty said that the life and struggle of the late leader should inspire one and all.

“Though he was born in a poor family, his sheer determination and efforts resulted in his rise to the coveted position of Deputy Prime Minister”, he said adding that each person from the families of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and weaker sections should draw inspiration from Jagjivan Ram and strive to make a mark in life.

Praising the personality of the freedom fighter, Mangalore MLA U T Khader said “Jagjivan Ram was soft-spoken and implemented his plans in practice rather preach them. He organised poor feeding on a regular basis and financially helped students pursue college education.”

MCC Commissioner K N Vijayaprakash, Assistant Commissioner Prabhuling Kavalkatti, and former ZP President Mamatha Gatti were among those present.

Great achiever

Babu Jagjivan Ram, known popularly as Babuji was a freedom fighter and a social reformer hailing from the backward classes of Bihar in India. He was instrumental in foundation of the 'All-India Depressed Classes League', an organization dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables, in 1935 and was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1937, that is when he organized, rural labour movement.

In 1946, he became the youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's provisional government, the First Union Cabinet of India as a Labour minister, and also a member of Constituent Assembly of India, where he ensured that social justice was enshrined in the Constitution. He went on serve as a minister in the Indian parliament with various portfolios for more than forty years as a member of Indian National Congress (INC), most importantly he was the Defence Minister of India during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, which resulted in formation of Bangladesh. His contribution to the Green Revolution in India and modernising Indian agriculture, during his two tenures as Union Agriculture Minister are still remembered, especial during 1974 drought when he was asked to hold the additional portfolio to tide over the food crisis. Though he supported Indira Gandhi during the Emergency in India (1975–1977), he left Congress in 1977 and joined Janata Party alliance in 1977, along with his Congress for Democracy, he later served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India (1977–1979), then in 1980, he formed Congress (J).