S. Nijalingappa

Nijalingappa was born on 10 December 1902 to a middle-class family in Haluvagalu, a small village in the Bellary district of the Madras Presidency.[1] His father, a small businessman, died when Nijalingappa was five; his mother was a homemaker. His family were Lingayat Hindus; Nijalingappa's mother was a devout worshipper of Shiva.[1] Nijalingappa later recalled that his "father's ancestors were all rich profligates" and that they "dissipated their wealth on gambling, drinking and womanising." He added that his "mother's father helped [his] parents, but [his family] were still very poor."

He grew up in Davanagere and, as a child, was given a traditional education by Veerappa Master, an elder teacher. He joined a formal, western primary school in Davanagere and then a secondary school in Chitradurga in 1919. During this time, he became interested in politics after reading the work of Annie Besant.[2] In 1924, he graduated in the Arts from the Central College Bengaluru, and he got his law degree from the Indian Law Society's Law College in Pune in 1926.[1]

Like many other leaders of the Indian freedom movement, he received a blend of both traditional Indian-style and Western-style education. He was influenced by the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad, and began to take an active part in the freedom movement in his native Karnataka.

Nijalingappa attended Indian National Congress sessions as a spectator. In 1936, when he came into contact with N. S. Hardikar, he took an active interest in the organization. He served first as a volunteer, later becoming president of the Pradesh Congress Committee, and then, in 1968, president of the All India Congress Committee.

He became president of the Mysore Congress and was also a member of the historic Constituent Assembly, from 1946 to 1950. In 1952, he was elected to the First Lok Sabha from the Chitradurga constituency (now Chitradurga), then in Mysore state.

In recognition of his service towards the unification of Karnataka, Nijalingappa was chosen as the first Chief Minister of the unified state. He was re-elected to the same post and continued in that position until April 1968. In Karnataka, he worked on the development of agricultural, irrigation, industrial, and transport projects.[3]

When people expressed their distrust in the party in the 1967 elections, Nijalingappa became Congress President. He chaired two Congress sessions in 1968 and 1969 in Hyderabad and Faridabad, respectively. During this time, the factional feud within the party increased and finally resulted in the historic split of the party in 1969.[4][5] He was the last president of an undivided Indian National Congress, as the party was then divided into Congress (Organization), which consisted of senior leaders like Nijalingappa, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, K. Kamaraj, and Morarji Desai; and Congress (R), which supported Indira Gandhi.[6]

After the Congress split, Nijalingappa gradually retired from politics. He later served as chairman of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Society.

Statue of Nijaligappa in Davanagere

Nijalingappa died on 9 August 2000 at his residence in Chitradurga at the age of 97.[7]

In 1963, Nijalingappa as Chief Minister, decided to establish UAS along the lines of Land Grant College system of USA and passed the University of Agricultural Sciences Bill (Act No. 22). He granted 1300 acres to Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus.[8]

Nijalingappa was widely revered, even after his retirement, and was known for his simplicity and integrity.[9] He is remembered fondly by the Tibetan community of India because as Chief Minister of Karnataka he gave land to Tibetan refugees for the purpose of resettlement. Now, Karnataka has the largest Tibetan settlements and the largest population in exile, with the four Tibetan settlements of Bylakuppe, Mundgod, Kollegal, and Gurupura (near Bylakuppe) in Karnataka.[10]

In 2003, a stamp honouring Nijalingappa was issued.[11] A memorial of Nijalingappa was built beside NH-4 on the outskirts of Chitradurga; it was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama on 29 January 2011.[12] Karnataka chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa declared that he would name the sugar research institute in Belgaum after Nijalingappa.[13]

• Nijalingappa, S. (2000). My Life and Politics: An Autobiography. Vision Books. ISBN 9788170944232.

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• Biography at Indian National Congress website