Biography of Morarji Desai

(1896 - 1995)

A true Gandhian, Morarji Desai was born at Bhadali in Gujarat to an Anavil Brahman family. He did his graduation from Wilson College, Mumbai. After that, he became Deputy Collector at Ahmedabad in 1918.

But on the call of Gandhiji, he left this government job and joined the ongoing Civil Disobedience Movement. He was imprisoned thrice in the next four years for his activities during the freedom struggle. In 1931, he became a member of the All India Congress Committee. When the first Congress ministry was constituted in 1937, he was made the Minister for Revenue and Forests and later he became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1952.

In 1956 he joined the Central Government and held many posts like finance Minister, Minister of Commerce, and Heavy Industries. In 1967, he became the Deputy Prime Minister. But in 1969, he was thrown away m office by Indira Gandhi. Leading the opposition, he prevailed in the elections, ending Gandhi's emergency rule. Thereafter, he became the Prime Minister of India in 1977. He died in 1995.