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S. Nijalingappa | |
|---|---|
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| 4thChief Minister of Mysore State | |
| In office 21 June 1962 – 29 May 1968 | |
| Preceded by | S. R. Kanthi |
| Succeeded by | Veerendra Patil |
| In office 1 November 1956 – 16 May 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Kadidal Manjappa |
| Succeeded by | B. D. Jatti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1902-12-10)10 December 1902 |
| Died | 8 August 2000(2000-08-08) (aged 97) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Alma mater | Central College of Bangalore,ILS Law College |
Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa (10 December 1902 – 8 August 2000) was an IndianCongress Party politician, lawyer, andIndian independence activist. He was the fourthChief Minister of Mysore State (nowKarnataka), serving two terms (1956–1958 and 1962–1968). In addition to the Indian independence movement, he played an important role in theKarnataka Unification movement.
Nijalingappa was born on 10 December 1902 to a middle-class family inHaluvagalu, a village in theBellary district of theMadras Presidency.[1] Nijalingappa’s father, who was a small businessman, died when he was five years old, while his mother was a homemaker. His family belonged to theBanajigaLingayat community, and Nijalingappa’s mother was a devotee of Shiva.[1] Nijalingappa later recalled that his "father's ancestors were all richprofligates" and that they "dissipated their wealth on gambling, drinking and womanising. He added that his maternal grandfather helped his parents, but the still family remained very poor.[citation needed]
He grew up inDavanagere and, as a child, received a traditional education from Veerappa Master, an elder teacher. He later attended a formal Western-style primary school in Davanagere, followed by a secondary school inChitradurga in 1919. During this period, he became interested in politics after reading the works ofAnnie Besant.[2]In 1924, he graduated with a degree in Arts from Central College,Bengaluru, and obtained a law degree from the Indian Law Society's Law College,Pune, in 1926.[1]
Like many other leaders of the Indian independence movement, he received both traditional Indian and Western-style education. Influenced by the ideologies ofMahatma Gandhi andRajendra Prasad, he began to take an active role in the freedom movement inKarnataka.
Nijalingappa attendedIndian National Congress sessions as a spectator. In 1936, when he came into contact withN. S. Hardikar, he took an active interest in the organization. He served first as a volunteer, later becoming president of thePradesh Congress Committee, and then, in 1968, president of theAll India Congress Committee.
He became president of the Mysore Congress and was also a member of the historicConstituent Assembly, from 1946 to 1950. In 1952, he was elected to theFirst Lok Sabha from theChitradurga constituency (now Chitradurga), then inMysore state.
In recognition of his service towards theunification of Karnataka, Nijalingappa was chosen as the firstChief 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 becameCongress President. He chaired two Congress sessions in 1968 and 1969 inHyderabad andFaridabad, 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 intoCongress (Organization), which consisted of senior leaders like Nijalingappa,Neelam Sanjiva Reddy,K. Kamaraj, andMorarji Desai; andCongress (R), which supportedIndira Gandhi.[6]
After the Congress split, Nijalingappa gradually retired from politics. He later served as chairman of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Society.
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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 theTibetan 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 ofBylakuppe,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 ofChitradurga; it was inaugurated by theDalai Lama on 29 January 2011.[12] Karnataka chief ministerB. S. Yeddyurappa declared that he would name the sugar research institute inBelgaum after Nijalingappa.[13]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Karnataka 1 November 1956 to 16 May 1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Karnataka 21 June 1962 to 29 May 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Mysore | |
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| Karnataka | 11Urs I 12Urs II13Rao14Hegde I15Hegde II16Hegde III17S. R. Bommai18Patil II19Bangarappa20Moily21Deve Gowda22Patel23Krishna24Singh25Kumaraswamy I26Yediyurappa I27Yediyurappa II28Sadananda Gowda29Shettar30Siddaramaiah I31Yediyurappa III32Kumaraswamy II33Yediyurappa IV34Basavaraj Bommai 35Siddaramaiah II |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
