“What I did not hear it seems to be. I did not say that India will be the most prosperous country. India does not need to have the most prosperity to be the most happy country. Rather, keeping too much prosperity creates jealousy.”
24 March 1977, the day of the history of independent India when a non -Congress person was sworn in as Prime Minister for the first time. The leader who became the Prime Minister of India after the Emergency. He overturned all the decisions of Indira Gandhi. However, once he used to be a strong leader of Congress. But do you know how he got the Prime Minister’s chair? While his partner Chaudhary Charan Singh was opposing him. Morarji Desai used to be special, if he was asked any question, then his answer used to start from the question itself. From 1977 to 1979, the Prime Minister of India was famous about Morarji Desai that he was a strict kind of Gandhian, but was honest to the extent of craze. Once he was accused of being a right -wing, he smiled and replied that yes, I am a rightist because I Belive in Doing Right.
Who after Nehru?
After independence, Morarji Desai, who started his political career as the Chief Minister of undivided Bombay, arrived in the Center’s politics in 1956 and became a cabinet minister in the Nehru government. During this time there was also a dispute between Nehru and Nehru’s socialist policies. Despite this, Morarji Desai had great respect in the government. Due to age, it was believed that if Nehru is never there, then naturally Morarji Desai would become Prime Minister in his place. In 1964, the time also came when Nehru was no more. By then the Kamaraj plan had been implemented in the Congress. K Kamaraj was made the national president of the Congress. After the death of Nehru, Kamaraj was with the responsibility to choose the next Prime Minister of the country on behalf of the Congress. The answer to this question was only and only one man had- K Kamaraj. On 27 May 1964, Kamaraj had a challenge to choose a person from inside the Congress party, whom everyone should accept his leader. The atmosphere in the bungalow of Tyagaraj Marg in Delhi was somewhat different. On 27 May 1964, within two hours of the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, Kamaraj made Gulzari Lal Nanda the acting Prime Minister of the country. But the questions were arising that who after Nehru? Finance Minister Morarji Desai in the Nehru government in the political Finja, Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi at the Center. Shastri himself also believed that if elections were held regarding this, he would defeat Morrji Desai, but Nehru’s daughter will not win with Indira. To avoid this match, he recommended two names Jai Prakash Narayan and Indira Gandhi. According to senior journalist Kuldeep Nayyar, Morarji Desai was adamant on this matter. He said that Jayaprakash Narayan is a confused man. Indir is a small chhokri. If I am considered the only contender for the post of Prime Minister, then the match will be postponed. K Kamaraj had already decided that whatever happens, Morarji Desai is not to be allowed to become Prime Minister.
The country and Congress succeeded Nehru’s successor through Kamaraj plan
Kamaraj reached Tirupati in September 1963. At that time he was not the president of the Congress and was accompanied by many leaders of non -Hindi speaking states. In the meeting with Neelam Sanjeev Reddy, Nizalingappa, SK Patil and Atulya Ghosh, Khilafat’s seeds were lost about the candidature of Morar Ji Desai. Morarji Desai wanted Parliamentary Party Karen’s party to choose the Prime Minister. But Kamaraj continued the dominance of the Congress Working Committee. Kamaraj took the responsibility of forming a consensus in the Congress and met Congress leaders across the country for three days. The Congress’ opinion was announced as Lal Bahadur Shastri after meeting Kamaraj and Morarji on 1 June 1964. Morarji was uprooted on this. But then Kamaraj explained to him. Such Congress and the country had found the successor of the country as Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Search started again after Shastri’s death
It is said that Kamaraj was preparing a political pitch for Indira Gandhi. After Nehru’s death, Indira had separated from the claim of the PM, saying that Indira was in mourning. Kamaraj felt that Shastri ji, who is competing with Morarji Desai, is less ambitious. This will make Indira’s own way easier. Lal Bahadur Shastri became Prime Minister and Indira Gandhi got a place in his cabinet as an IB minister. But Shastri ji died on 11 January 1966 in Tashkent. When Hindustan news arrived, people were shocked. After the Tashkent Agreement, Lal Bahadur Shastri, not himself but his body reached India. After Shastri’s death, Kamaraj again made Gulzari Lal Nanda the acting Prime Minister. At the same time, once again in Delhi, the tussle of the chair intensified and this time Indira Gandhi became completely active. Indira Gandhi came to meet him to know what is going on in the mind of Congress President’s Kamaraj. Care Taker was trying to understand Indira Kamaraj’s intention by referring to Prime Minister Gulzari Lal Nanda. But it proved to be a failure in it. Everyone was eyeing what will be the next step of Kamaraj.
Kamaraj’s last successful bet and then Morarji’s hand slipped
On the night of 13 January 1966, a meeting of old Congress leaders met at 4 Jantar Mantar Road bungalow in Delhi. K Kamaraj was also present. One of the leaders present proposed why Kamaraj should not be made Prime Minister. He is the senior leader of the party and also the Congress President. On this proposal, K Kamaraj spoke to Tapak- No English, No Hindi How. Actually, Kamaraj only came to Tamil language. So he was refusing to become Prime Minister. The question was established in its place. In front of this meeting, the question was in front of Indira, whether Kamaraj was ready to be a kingmaker in place of King? In the meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the prime ministerial candidate Morarji Desai did not agree to the consensus this time and he was adamant on voting. Indira Gandhi got the support of Kamaraj. At that time, Indira Gandhi was considered weaker than Morarji Desai, but it was the wonder of Kingmaker Kamaraj that Indira became Prime Minister after getting the support of 355 MPs in the Congress Parliamentary Party. It is said that this was Kamaraj’s last successful bet.
Win on Congress O ticket
Morarji Desai did the Khilafat over the issue of nationalization of Indira’s banks. Indira removed him from the post of Finance Minister. However, Indir gave him the option that he remained in the post of Deputy Prime Minister. But Morarji Desai resigned from the Congress itself, understanding the exaggeration of the time. Later, when the Congress broke up and Indira broke the party and made the Congress R. Then Morarji joined Congress’s Syndicate Congress O. In 1971, when Lok Sabha elections were held and Indira won a major victory. Even then Morarji Desai was among the 16 MPs who won on the Congress O ticket. But then the emergency of Emergency comes. Morarji Desai also had to stay in jail for 19 months during this period. Later, after an emergency of about 2 years, PM Indira Gandhi conducted the general elections in 1977. The Janata Party alliance with a hasty opposition leaders to remove Indira from power got a total of 345 seats. For the first time in the country, a non-Congress government was going to be formed. The leader of every party wanted to become Prime Minister. The situation had become like a pomegranate hundred sick. The post of PM was mainly claimed by Morarji Desai, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chandrashekhar.
Such Morarji became the first non -Congress PM
Morarji Desai was dreaming of becoming PM for the third time. The then Bharatiya Jana Sangh faction received 102 MPs out of 345 in the Janata alliance, but did not claim for the post of Prime Minister. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh adopted the strategy of the weight and watch. There was a conflict between Morarji and JP over personality for decades. Morarji was six years older than JP. Chandrashekhar also did not agree on Morarji’s name. He told JP that Jagjivan Ram should become Prime Minister. There are different types of people in this party. The Prime Minister needs such that people can listen to people and compromise them to keep them with him. Morarji is not such a man. But the matter of Chandrashekha was rejected. The reason was given that Jagjivan Ram supported the Emergency. Morarji Desai was in jail for 19 months. Then Jayaprakash Narayan himself also agreed to the name of Morarji. JP’s JB Acharya Kripalani, Nayayan Desai, Radha Krishna also agreed. On 24 March 1977, Morarji Desai took oath as Prime Minister of the country as the first non -Congress.
