BABU JAGJIVAN RAM

Why in News?
The Prime Minister paid tributes to freedom fighter Babu Jagjivan Ram on his 115th birth anniversary

Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji, was a national leader, a freedom fighter, a crusader of social justice, a champion of depressed classes and an outstanding Parliamentarian.
Jagjivan Ram was born on 5th April 1908 in Chandwa in Bihar to a Dalit family.
He was considered ‘untouchable’ and had to drink water from a different pot.
Jagjivan Ram protested against this by breaking the pot. The principal then had to remove the separate pot from the school.
In 1925, Jagjivan Ram met scholar Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and was greatly inspired by him. On Malaviya’s invitation, he joined the Banaras Hindu University.
Even at the university, Jagjivan Ram faced discrimination. This inspired him to protest against such social boycotts of a section of society. He also organised the scheduled castes to protest against injustice.
Jagjivan Ram had organised a number of Ravidas Sammelans and had celebrated Guru Ravidas Jayanti in different areas of Calcutta (Kolkata).

Pre Independence Contributions

In 1931, he became a member of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party).
He was instrumental in the foundation of the All India Depressed Classes League, an organisation dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables, in 1934-35.
He was a champion of social equality and equal rights for the Depressed Classes.
In 1935, he proposed at a session of the Hindu Mahasabha that drinking water wells and temples be open to untouchables.
In 1935, Babuji also appeared before the Hammond Commission at Ranchi and demanded, for the first time, voting rights for the Dalits.

Post Independence Contributions

When Jawaharlal Nehru formed the provisional government, Jagjivan Ram became its youngest minister.
He served as minister for food and agriculture and he was made minister of defence.
The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 was fought when he was the defence minister.
He also holds another record for being the longest-serving cabinet minister in India (30 years).
Jagjivan Ram was a member of the Parliament uninterrupted from 1936 to 1986 (40 years) and this is a world record.

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