News- President Droupadi Murmu unveiled C. Rajagopalachari’s statue at Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing Edwin Lutyens.
About C. Rajagopalachari
- Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji or CR, was a freedom fighter, social reformer, and statesman.
- Early Life: He was born in December 1878 in Thorapalli in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu.
- Education : He studied in his village school and later moved to Madras in 1896 to study law. He became a Bachelor of Law in 1899 and started legal practice in Salem.
- Political Reform
- Local Leadership (1911–1917): He was elected to the Salem Municipal Council in 1911 and became its Chairman in June 1917.
- Swatantra Party (August 1959): He founded the Swatantra Party to provide a constitutional opposition and support free enterprise with regulation.
- Opposition to Coercive Planning (mid-1950s): He opposed coercive Soviet-type planning and supported democratic balance.
Role in Freedom Struggle
- Congress Participation: He attended the 1906 and 1907 sessions of the Indian National Congress.
- Rowlatt and Non-Cooperation (1919–1920): He supported the Rowlatt Satyagraha in 1919 and led the Non-Cooperation Movement in Tamil Nadu in 1920.
- Salt Satyagraha: In 1930, he led the march from Trichy to Vedaranyam and was arrested.
- Quit India Differences (1942): He differed with Gandhi and proposed negotiation.
- Rajaji Formula (April 1944): He conveyed Gandhi’s acceptance of the proposal to Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Social Reform
- Temple Entry (July 8, 1939): He supported Dalit entry into temples and introduced protective legislation..
- Anti-Discrimination Law: He backed a Bill making discrimination punishable.
- Hindi Policy: He introduced Hindi in schools in 1938 but later opposed its imposition.
- Social Upliftment: He worked for the welfare of backward classes and promoted social equity.
Legacy: He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1954.
Death: He passed away on 25 December 1972.
