Kamaraj: At the helm of Tamil Nadu’s Golden Age

A. JEYAKUMAR

To mark the birthday of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj Nadar, the Nadar community in Sri Lanka celebrates July 15 as ‘Sri Lanka Nadar Day’.

KING MAKER: Kumaraswamy Kamaraj was an ordinary man with extraordinary qualities. From humble beginnings, he rose to the highest position and helped two Prime Ministers of India, first Lal Bahadur Sastri and then Indira Gandhi.

The demise of Nehru was expected to create a political void leading to instability, but Kamaraj as Congress president played the man of destiny, settling the succession issue amicably through a democratic consensus. It was perhaps the crowning glory of his life.

Kamaraj was a multi-faceted political personality, and power and position sat lightly on him. He was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for nine years and that period was considered a ‘Golden Age’.

For him, power was only a means to serve the people and he served them well. He was a down-to-earth planner and visualised and executed an infrastructure that was essential to satisfy the needs of ordinary folk.

He paid special attention to the energy sector and electricity reached almost all villages in Tamil Nadu. The power generation helped many industrial estates to come up and grow.

The industrialisation of Tamil Nadu started in right earnest. He ruthlessly cut the red tape of bureaucratic inertia and his watchword was action and result. He appointed efficient officers as Heads of Department where dynamism and quick decision were essential.

He rose from the grassroots level and, in his political life spanning more than half a century, there was no place in Tamil Nadu where he had not set foot.

Under the tutelage of a great orator and parliamentarian, S. Satyamurti, he blossomed into full-fledged leadership. When he was elected president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, he knew every region as he would know the palm of his hand.

Kamaraj’s elevation to the presidentship of the Congress at the instance of Nehru was a historical recognition of the man’s national stature and capacity to steer the ship of the party in critical times. The choice was historical in more senses than one.

After Nehru, he not only saved the Congress from immediate disintegration brought on by leadership squabbles but proved to the world the vibrancy of Indian democracy.

His later confrontation with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was a consequence of the inevitable power struggle between the organisation and the parliamentary wing of the party.

Kamaraj lost the battle to Indira Gandhi. The leaders who rallied around Kamaraj were a spent force; they wanted to continue their hegemony even after it had been played out.

Kamaraj, a progressive, unfortunately aligned himself with the reactionaries, losing his colour and clout and getting politically marginalised. The political alignments and devices he tried desperately in Tamil Nadu did not work in his favour.

Kamaraj’s life was one of total dedication and selfless service to the people. As a freedom fighter, he played a self-effacing role, shunning the limelight and taking upon himself risky and arduous jobs. Yet he was one of the noted targets of British repression.

Kamaraj showed little taste for the fine arts but saw to it that the State recognised and encouraged outstanding artistes. He was frugal and lived a spartan life. Wealth he desired for the nation, not for himself.

All through his political life, he had an excellent rapport with the press. He often invited eminent journalists to his house for a discussion on current matters. He used to say many things off the record and would listen patiently to the views of visiting journalists.

He would not mind adverse criticism of his stand or policies by well-meaning journalists and he would ask probing questions to understand their points of view better.

He was also aware of the power of the press and in spit of heavy odds, he was instrumental in running a Congress Tamil daily, Navasakthi, for several years.

Some critics accused Kamaraj of keeping a coterie around him all the time and listening to their advice. No doubt he had some personal friends who were non-political and naturally he might have looked to them for non-partisan views on certain issues.

Kamaraj had a mind of his own and it was rather difficult for anyone to pressurise him with their pet or slanted views.

He kept himself abreast of the latest developments, especially in the international arena. He was quite aware of his limitations in certain fields and was not shy about learning from others.

Kamaraj had an uncanny talent for assessing men after a short acquaintance. In carrying his colleagues with him, he believed in consensus. In implementing programmes and schemes, he was ruthless to a fault. He was unsparing in extracting work from bureaucrats but at the same time treated with them respect.

Kamaraj’s contribution to the freedom movement and the building of the nation was enormous. He left deep footprints in the political domain.

The writer is General Secretary, Nadar Welfare Association of Lanka.