Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister of India during March 24, 1977 - July 28, 1979. He was born on February 29, 1896 in Bhadeli village, now in the Bulsar district of Gujarat. His father was a school teacher. He joined Civil Service of the then Bombay Province in 1918 and served as a Deputy Collector for twelve years. In 1930, he resigned and joined freedom movement of India. He was imprisoned thrice during the freedom struggle. He became a Member of the All India Congress Committee in 1931 and was Secretary of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee untill 1937.

When the first Congress Government assumed office in 1937, he became Minister for Revenue, Agriculture, Forest and Co-operatives in the Ministry headed by Shri B.G. Kher in the then Bombay Province. The Congress Ministries went out of office in 1939 in protest against India involvement in the World War without the consent of the people.

Morarji was detained in the individual Satyagraha launched by Mahatma Gandhi, released in October, 1941 and detained again in August, 1942 at the time of the Quit India Movement. He was released in 1945. After the elections to the State Assemblies in 1946, he became the Minister for Home and Revenue in Bombay. In 1952, he became the Chief Minister of Bombay.

After the reorganisation of the States, Morarji joined the Union Cabinet as Minister for Commerce and Industry on November 14, 1956. Later, he took the Finance portfolio on March 22, 1958.

In 1963, he resigned from the Union Cabinet under the Kamraj Plan. Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, who succeeded Pt. Nehru as Prime Minister, pursuaded him to become Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission for restructuring the administrative system. His long and varied experienced of public life stood him in good stead in his task.

In 1967, Morarji joined Indira Gandhi’s cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of Finance. In July, 1969, when Indira Gandhi took away the Finance portfolio from him, he resigned as Deputy Prime Minister of India.

Morarji was arrested and detained on June 26, 1975, when Emergency was declared. He was kept in solitary confinement and was released on January 18, 1977, a little before the decision to hold elections to the Lok Sabha was announced. Janata Party got majority in the Lok Sabha, and Morarji was unanimously elected as Leader of the Janata Party in Parliament and was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on March 24, 1977.

Morarji Desai and Gujraben were married in 1911. They had five children.

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