Question

Why was Kamaraj called as “Kingmaker”?

Answer 1

Hint
He was a famous politician in south India. He was considered responsible for the uprising of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Complete answer:
Kumaraswami Kamaraj was born in Virudhunagar on July 15, 1903. He was an Indian Independence activist and statesman. He became a legislator in Madras Presidency in 1937. He was appointed as general secretary in 1936 and then as the President of Indian National Congress party in 1940. He has been a part of the party since the age of 17. He also participated in various movements like Non-cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience etc. He was imprisoned several times by the British Raj.

He was also a member of the Legislative assembly and later in 1951 contested and won the seat in first Lok Sabha. Later he was appointed as the chief minister of Madras state of independent India in 1954. He was credited for advancing the education system in the state and also improved the economy of the state. He was the first prime minister who launched a programme similar to the mid-day meal programme.

Tamil Nadu had a ‘Kingmaker’ that was Kumaraswami Kamaraj. After the death of India’s first prime minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, he was the man who anointed Lal Bahadur Shastri as the prime minister. And then in 1966 anointed Indira Gandhi as the prime minister. All the senior congress leaders wanted him to take the post himself but he refused. The reason behind this was that he was poor at Hindi and English proficiency and felt that the prime minister of India has to be proficient in any one of them at least. Well, not taking up the top post does not mean that he let go the rein, he tried to play the real power behind the throne. Huber Humphrey, the Us president during 1966 said that he is one of the greatest political leaders in all the countries of the free world. One plan known as “Kamaraj Plan'' is very famous in which he got the senior leaders of the party to resign from their posts and work to rebuild the party. It was the moment which made him a household name beyond south India.

Note
Kamaraj was a well-known name in south India. He was known as a kingmaker as he played a crucial role in making Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister.