Question

Which Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency made Hindi as a compulsory language in schools?
A. Ramaswami Naicker
B. C Rajagopalachari
C. Ramakrishna Ranga Rao
D. P T Rajan

Answer 1

Hint: The same person was the last Governor-General of India and also he was the first Indian-born Governor-General. The elections to the Madras Presidency was held in 1937 and it was the first time that congress came into power in Madras.

Complete answer: The Indian National Congress first came to power in the Madras Presidency following the Madras elections of 1937 and C Rajagopalachari entered the Assembly as the first Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency from the Congress party. He became highly unpopular in the Madras Presidency for the compulsory introduction of Hindi in the educational institutions. This measure led to anti-Hindi protests and there was also violence in some places. Due to these protests around 1200 people were jailed and two of the protesters were killed during the protests.

Option A - Ramakrishna Naicker - Periyar E V Ramaswami was a social activist who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam.
Option C - Ramakrishna Ranga Rao - He was a politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 1932 to 1936.
Option D - P T Rajan - He was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and was also the last President of the Justice Party.

Therefore the correct answer is option B.

Note: On 21 February 1940 the unpopular new law on the use of Hindi was quickly repealed by the Governor of Madras. Out of the 215 seats the Indian National Congress was able to win 159 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Before the Congress the presidency was governed by the Justice Party for the previous 17 years.