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Nijalingappa, the
true Gandhian
 Siddavanahalli
Nijalingappa, the former Chief Minister and architect of Karnataka`s
unification, was a rare and fervent Gandhian. Known for his
honesty and integrity, his seven-year spell as Chief Minister saw
the state develop in all spheres. He was an inspiring and fearless
leader who never hesitated to raise his voice against corruption in
public life even after he retired from active politics.
He was born on December 10, 1902 at Halavagalu village in Bellary
district. Despite the loss of his father during his infancy, he
rose to national prominence by dint of hard work and merit. Chitradurga
was the place he shifted to later, and his love for this district
endured to the end. It was not surprising that he insisted on being
taken there to breathe his last.
Nijalingappa first met Gandhiji at the Belgaum session of the Indian
National Congress in 1924. He was inspired to give his all to the
freedom struggle and politics. In 1939, his lucrative practice in
the Bar came to an end when the Mysore High Court cancelled his license
to practice as an advocate when he participated in the Forest Satyagraha.
He did not regret the sacrifice and readily faced what he knew would
be a life of struggle. His struggle did not end with the coming of
freedom. Later he took up cudgels for a democratic government in the
state, which the then rulers of Mysore denied even after independence.
Elected to the Lok Sabha from Chitradurga in 1952, Nijalingappa
made himself one with the cause of the Kannadigas who wanted a united
state. He did his best to convince national leaders including Jawaharlal
Nehru about the importance of the unification of Karnataka. This unification
was achieved on November 1, 1956 and Nijalingappa was sworn-in
as its Chief Minister.
As Chief Minister, Nijalingappa took up the challenging task of putting
Karnataka on the path to development. The task was not an easy one
as he had to operate from a hotbed of political rivalry and groupism
that plagued the Mysore Congress at that time. The dissidence led
to his resignation from the post of chief ministership just 18 months
after assuming office even though he had led the party to a spectacular
victory in the 1957 general elections. The intra-party feud was to
take its toll again and resulted in his losing the elections from
Hosadurga constituency in 1962. But two months later he was elected
unopposed from Bagalkot. He took over as Chief Minister
for the second time in June 1962 and held the post till
May 1968 when he resigned after he was appointed the President
of the Indian National Congress.
As Chief Minister, Nijalingappa paid particular attention to irrigation,
power and agriculture. The construction of the Sharavathi hydel
project was initiated and completed during his period. The foundation
stone for six major and several medium irrigation projects, including
the Upper Krishna Project was also laid during his tenure, though
many of these projects remain incomplete even today. This caused him
deep concern even in his last days.
Nijalingappa was instrumental in setting up Bangalore University,
the University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore, medical colleges
in Hubli, Davanagere, Gulbarga, Belgaum and Bellary, the National
Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans), Kidwai Institute
of Oncology and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum,
Bangalore.
This venerated son of Karnataka is no more but he lives on - in history,
in our hearts. |
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