Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai
US EMBASSY NEW DELHI · Public domain · source
Name	Morarji Desai
Caption	Morarji Desai in 1977
Birth date	29 February 1896
Birth place	Bhadeli, Bombay Presidency, British Raj
Death date	10 April 1995
Death place	New Delhi, India
Office	4th Prime Minister of India
Term start	24 March 1977
Term end	28 July 1979
Predecessor	Indira Gandhi
Successor	Charan Singh
Party	Janata Party (1977–1979); earlier Indian National Congress
Alma mater	Elphinstone College, University of Bombay

Morarji Desai was an Indian statesman who served as the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979 and earlier held senior posts in the Bombay Presidency and the Central Government of India. A veteran of the Indian independence movement, he was noted for his administrative roles as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Chief Minister of Gujarat, and multiple union portfolios including Finance Minister of India and Home Minister of India. His premiership followed the 1977 Indian general election that ended the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, and he led the first non-Indian National Congress federal administration in the Republic of India.

Early life and education

Born in the village of Bhadeli in the Bombay Presidency to a Kshatriya farming family, he studied at local schools before moving to Bombay for higher education. He attended Elphinstone College and the University of Bombay, where contemporaries included future leaders from Mahatma Gandhi’s circle and the Indian National Congress leadership. Influenced by reform movements in Gujarat and social campaigns associated with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Mahatma Gandhi, his formative years overlapped with major events like the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Political career in Bombay Presidency and Gujarat

He began his public career in municipal politics in Bombay and rose through the ranks of the Bombay Legislative Council and later the Bombay State administration. As a minister in state cabinets associated with the Indian National Congress, he worked alongside figures such as B. G. Kher, Morarji Desai's contemporaries included Yashwantrao Chavan and V. K. Krishna Menon during reorganizations that followed the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. After the bifurcation of states, he became the first Chief Minister of Gujarat in the newly formed Gujarat state in 1960, succeeding leaders like Jivraj Narayan Mehta and interacting with regional politicians including Balwantrai Mehta and Nanubhai Vanani.

Role in the Indian independence movement

Active in the Indian independence movement, he participated in protests and campaigns that connected with national figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and C. Rajagopalachari. He faced colonial-era administrative obstacles from the British Raj and engaged with constitutional developments involving the Simon Commission and the Indian Councils Act. During the Quit India Movement, his contemporaries included leaders from the Congress Socialist Party, Congress (O), and regional satyagraha organizers. His independence-era activities put him in contact with activists like C. F. Andrews, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, and others involved in nonviolent resistance.

Tenure as Chief Minister and Union Minister

In state office he handled portfolios relevant to tax administration, irrigation, and public works, coordinating projects with agencies like the Bombay Port Trust and institutions such as Irrigation Departments and Public Works Department. At the federal level he served as Finance Minister of India and Home Minister of India in cabinets of leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Indira Gandhi. His tenure as Union Minister involved interactions with the Reserve Bank of India, the Planning Commission, the Ministry of Finance (India), and diplomatic engagements involving Ministry of External Affairs (India) counterparts as India navigated events like the Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Prime Ministership (1977–1979)

Following the end of the Emergency and the 1977 elections, he led the Janata Party coalition to victory, defeating Indira Gandhi's Indian National Congress (R). As Prime Minister of India he chaired meetings with leaders from coalition partners such as Morarji Desai's colleagues included Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram, Ram Subhag Singh, and K. R. Narayanan in later political circles. His administration sought to restore civil liberties curtailed under the Emergency and engaged with institutions including the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission of India, and the Parliament of India. Internationally, his government disengaged from certain policies of the previous administration and pursued diplomatic contacts with countries including the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and neighboring states like Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Policies, ideology and governance

Known for a mix of conservative fiscal policies and Gandhian austerity, he emphasized anti-corruption measures and administrative probity, advocating for accountability through institutions such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. His economic stance involved close coordination with the Reserve Bank of India and the Ministry of Finance (India) on taxation, public expenditure, and rural credit schemes tied to agencies like the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and the State Bank of India. Ideologically, he drew on influences from Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Vinoba Bhave, and elements of the Swadeshi movement, while facing criticism from leftist parties and labor unions including Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist). His tenure grappled with issues arising from the Green Revolution era, energy matters involving Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, and bureaucratic reforms involving the Indian Administrative Service.

Personal life and legacy

A teetotaler and proponent of discipline, he practiced Siddha-like regimens and was associated with figures in social reform and healthcare such as Dhanvantari-linked Ayurvedic practitioners and colleagues in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. His family included relatives active in public life and civic institutions in Bombay and Ahmedabad. His legacy is reflected in debates over the restoration of civil liberties after the Emergency, the 1977 realignment of national politics culminating in the rise of non-Congress coalitions, and institutional responses in bodies like the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission of India, and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Monuments, archives, and collections related to his papers are held in repositories in New Delhi and Ahmedabad, and his life continues to be studied alongside contemporaries such as Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Mahatma Gandhi.

Category:Prime Ministers of India Category:Indian independence activists Category:1896 births Category:1995 deaths