Samatha Divas: Birth anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ram
Jagjivan Ram (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), popularly known as Babuji, was a freedom activist, a staunch supporter of Dalit rights, Cabinet minister and a Member of Parliament for an uninterrupted period of 50 years.
Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji was a freedom fighter and leader of Dalit movement.(Express Photo| Nagesh Polali)
Handling the portfolio of Labour Ministry, he was the youngest minister in the interim government led by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946. (Express Photo)
He went on to serve 50 years, uninterrupted as a Member of Parliament till his death in 1986. His representation from 1936 to 1986 is a world record. (Express Photo)
Former Union Minister Jagjivanram with former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Annadurai C N (Express photo)
Photograph shows from right to left Defense Minister Shri.Jagjivan Ram, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. SHFJ Manekshaw, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral SM Nanda and Chief of the Air Force Staff, Air Chief Marshal P C Lal (Express Photo)
During Indira Gandhi's government, Jagjivan Ram served as the Minister for Labour, Employment and Rehabilitation and later as the Union Minister for Food and Agriculture during 1967-70 when he spearheaded the Green Revolution. Union Minister Jagjivan Ram is seen along with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (Express Photo)
S G Gorshkov, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy and the Soviet Deputy Minister of Defence is seen along with the Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram (Photo| PTI)
Though he supported Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, along with five other leaders, resigned from the Cabinet to form Congress for Democracy party within the Janata coalition. (Jagjivan Ram with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi|PTI )
Jagjivan Ram, as the defence minister during the Indo-Pak war of 1971 was instrumental in the birth of Bangladesh nation. He handled the additional portfolio of agricultue and irrigation during the 1974 floods and contributed to the green revolution. (Ram with Dr Bunche, the Under Secretary-General of the UN (Photo |PTI)
During the two Janata Party governments, he accepted the post of Minister of Defense (1977-79). (Jagjivan Ram, Deputy Prime Minister distributing aids to the poor with DMK minister K A Mathiazhagan on his left |Express photo)
Babu Jagjivan Ram died on 6th July 1986. During his initial years as a political activist he had organized a Mazdoor Rally at Wellington Square in 1928, in which over 50,000 people participated. In 1935 he voiced his support in the Hindu Mahasabha for the rights of Dalits to enter temples and drink water from public wells. His birth anniversary is observed as Samata diwas (Equality Day) in India. (Express Photo)
