Achievements

A world record- Babuji continuously won 10 elections from the same constituency
In April 1936, Babuji became a member of the Bihar Legislative Council. Meanwhile, elections under the Government of India Act, 1935 were scheduled to be held in 1936-37. Such was Babuji’s political acumen and his stature that no one filed their nomination against him. In December 1936 itself, Babuji was elected unopposed to the Bihar Legislative Assembly as a candidate of the Bhartiya Depressed Classes League (BDCL), his own Organization. He also ensured unopposed victory of 14 other candidates of BDCL from reserved constituencies. He was then just 28 years old. Thereafter, on the invitation of Congress, he joined Congress with his 14 MLAs.

It was in the year 1946 that he assumed the office of the Minister of Labour in the Interim Government at the Center having been elected unopposed as a Congress candidate. He was the youngest member in the 2 interim governments. In the post-independence India, he won all the Lok Sabha elections-1952, 1957 (Unopposed), 1962, 1967, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1984 from the same constituency of Sasaram. People of Sasaram were like his family. He was always there for them. They too, in turn, always stood by him. He brought glory to Sasaram the way Sher Shah Suri had once done. From 1936, until his death in 1986, his uninterrupted Parliamentary career of half a century is a world record.

Minister in the Interim Government
When it became clear that the independence of India could not be delayed for long, the British rulers decided to form an Interim Government, to which they could transfer power. On 2 September 1946, an Interim Government under Lord Wavell, was constituted in Delhi. On 30 August 1946, the Emperor of India, George VI, wrote to Babuji inviting him to join the Executive Council of the Interim Government. He was the sole representative of the Dalits in that Government. The following were the Members of the Interim Government:-

1. Ministry of External Affairs & Common wealth  – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Security – Sardar Baldev Singh
3. Home, Information & Broadcasting – Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
4. Finance – Dr. John Mathai
5. Communication, Transport & Railways – Shri M. Asaf Ali
6. Food and Agriculture – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
7. Labour – Shri Jagjivan Ram
8. Health, Education & Arts – Sir Shafaat Ahmed Khan
9. Parliamentary Affairs, Post & Telegraph – Shri Saiyed Ali Zaheer
10. Mines, Energy and Works – Shri Sharat Chandra Bose
11. Industry and Supply – Shri C. Rajagopalachari
12. Commerce – Shri C. H. Bhabha

Extraordinary Administrator
He had an unparallel record of serving as the Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the Central Cabinet for 31 years. With his awesome administrative ability, he not only successfully met the challenges of nation building, but also streamlined the ministries he held.

Pre-Independence
Labour Minister – 2 September 1946 to 15 August 1947.

Post-Independence
Labour Minister – 15 August 1947 to 13 May 1952.
He framed many landmark legislations such as Industrial Disputes Act, 1947; Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Employees State Insurance Act, 1948; Labour Act, 1951; Employees Provident Fund Act, 1952, etc. He was the first Indian Labour Minister to preside over the International Labour Organization meet in Geneva.

Communication Minister – 13 May 1952 to 7 December 1956.
In 1953, he nationalized private airlines and established Indian Airlines Corporation and Air India International. He also extended the network of post, telegraph and telecommunication to remote village areas.

Rail and Transport Minister – 7 December 1956 to 17 April 1957.
He reviewed the old regulations and improved the service conditions of railways and transport employees.

Railway Minister – 17 April 1957 to 10 April 1962.
He modernized the railways and extended its network to different parts of the country. 1n 1957, orders for reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were issued for the first time.

Transport and Communication Minister – 10 April 1962 to 31 August 1963.
Metrology was used for the first time in river valley projects, irrigation projects and in the navy. Scholarship was offered for the first time for pilot training in flying clubs. Calcutta, Haldia, Madras, Vishakhapatnam, Kandla Ports were extensively extended. State level roads were converted into national highways on a large scale.

To strengthen the Indian National Congress, he resigned from the Government under the Kamraj Plan on 31 August 1963.

Labour, Employment & Rehabilitation Minister 24 January 1966 to 13 March 1967.
For providing security to the workers serving in mines and related fields, he framed the Mines Vocational Training Rules, 1966. He reviewed the old labour laws and implemented them in a more effective manner.

Food, Agriculture, Community Development & Cooperative Minister – 13 March 1967 to 27 June 1970.
Facing the most severe drought of 1967 with firm determination, he ensured that nobody died of hunger. He launched the ‘grow more crops scheme’ and brought about the ‘Green Revolution’. Our country not only became self sufficient in food grains for the first time but also started its export.

Additional Charge of Labour, Employment & Rehabilitation Ministry – 15 November 1969 to 18 February 1970.
He enforced the labour laws strictly.

Defence Minister – 27 June 1970 to 10 October 1974.
As Defence Minister, he ensured historical victory in the Indo-Pak war, due to which Bangladesh was created. It was for the first time that India won a war. He provided liberal financial support and better employment opportunities to the wounded and the families of the martyrs.

Food, Agriculture and Irrigation Minister – 10 October 1974 to 2 Februrary 1977.
To improve the deteriorating food front, he again took charge of the Food and Agriculture Ministry. He settled the international water disputes over distribution of river Ganga waters with Bangladesh. At the national level, disputes over the distribution of the Ganga water were settled between different States. He also set up a Commission to settle future disputes.

Defence Minister – 28 March 1977 to 24 January 1979.
He inducted the modern, sophisticated fighter aircraft Jaguar in the Air Force. He improved the service conditions of the Army, Air and Naval personnel and provided them better pay and facilities.

No Cabinet Minister or Deputy Prime Minister has had such a long tenure.

Messiah of the downtrodden
Babuji fought for the cause of social justice since his student days and continued to fight all his life for a better deal for the underprivileged. He began this fight as an adolescent of 14, when he forced the Principal of the Town School, Arrah to stop the abominable practice of keeping a separate pitcher for the so called untouchable students. As a student in Calcutta he established Ravidas Mahasabha. In 1934, he became the Secretary General of Harijan Sevak Sangh, set up by Gandhiji. He founded the Bhartiya Depressed Classes League in 1935. He mobilized the dalits through these organizations.

Relief work for the earthquake victims- meeting with Gandhiji
In 1934, when the unprecedented earthquake in Bihar caused untold horror and destruction, Babuji immersed himself totally in relief work. Gandhiji rushed to Bihar. That was the first time Babuji met him and joined his band of volunteers for the relief operation. In October 1941, on an invitation by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Babuji stayed in Wardha Ashram for 10 days and had detailed discussions with Gandhiji on the problems of Dalits and the struggle for the independence.

Democratic rights
In the year 1935, Babuji appeared before the Hammond Commission, which had come from Britain and strongly advocated that Dalits should exercise their franchise in the election of 1936-1937. Since then, Dalits have the right to vote.

Reservation
The provision of reservation was not so easily included in the Constitution. There were strong undercurrents of protest. At that juncture, the ultimate responsibility of garnering support lay on the shoulders of Babuji, who was the most influential and senior leader among Dalits. With his inherent wisdom and sagacity, Babuji obtained consensus, as a result of which the provision of reservation saw the light of the day.

In the wake of independence, there were few Scheduled Caste officers at the Center or in the States. All the Chief Ministers belonged to the so called upper castes. Yet, without any bitterness or tension, Babuji made them implement reservation, open Harijan hostels, and start other schemes for Harijans welfare and against untouchability. Due to his political clout, the Chief Ministers themselves regularly sent him the implementation reports of reservation and welfare scheme. His suggestions concerning Dalit welfare carried immense weight and were treated as an order. It is due to his untiring efforts that today Dalits are more aware, are getting educated and have reached high positions. His continuous patronage of over 50 years has given courage to Dalits and has helped them embark on the road to progress.

In 1957, Babuji made the provision of reservation in promotions. He was then the Minister of Railways. His decision met with serious protests and opposition. The matter was brought before the Supreme Court where the opponents lost. Since then the provision of reservation in promotion came into existence.

In the Constitution, the provision of reservation was made for just ten years. With the immence influence of Babuji, the term was extended from time to time. Whenever voices against reservation were heard, he suppressed them with his stature and mass appeal. He made sure that in his Ministery all the reserved seats were filled.

Temple Entry
He believed that the change of religion does not lead to change of caste. Whatever religion Dalits may adopt, they would continue to be looked down upon. Had it not been so, Dalits embracing Buddhism would not have felt the need for reservation. He wanted Dalits to continue in the same religion and fight for their rights.

In order that Dalits are treated with respect in Hindu religion, he made sure that the gates of the temple shut for them for the thousands of years, were opened. Jagannath Dham, Puri, Vishwanath Mandir, Kashi, Meenakshi Mandir, Madurai are a few of many such famous temples personally opened by him.

Landless Farmers
Babuji knew that in our agrarian society, only a handful of Dalits would be benefited from reservation. Crores of landless Dalits would still continue to subsist as the victims of the Zamindari and Jagirdari systems and such social evil as begar. Babuji made the provision that a Dalit should get right over the land he had been tilling as a landless labourer. Since then, land has been distributed to landless agricultural labourers from time to time. Consequently, a large number of landless farmers now own land.
Avenues of education
Babuji laid special emphasis on imparting education to Dalits. Since the time he was active in the freedom movement, he set up a number of schools and hostels in Harijan dominated villages and arranged stipends for students. Doors of all the educational institutions opened for Dalits. Millions of Dalit students started getting education.

After completing their education, they started assuming important positions and the society witnessed a paradigm shift.

Eradication of untouchability
Babuji was instrumental in the enactment of the Anti Untouchability Act, which was modified in 1976 and named as the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955. Recruitment of Balmikis to serve drinking water at Railway Stations throughout the country was a revolutionary step in this direction, taken by Babuji when he was the Railway Minister.

Decline in cases of exploitation
People did not dare to exploit Dalits for the fear of their father-figure Babuji at the Centre. This led to decline in cases of exploitation. With his influence, he could trigger caste conflict any time. Yet, he always exercised restraint because he knew that such an act would eventually harm the Dalits.

He aimed at creating an atmosphere of respect for the Dalits and his message to them was ‘get educated, have self-respect, be fearless’.

Political dominance
When the Indian National Congress split in 1969, all the important Congress leaders of the time formed a separate group. Congress was going through a critical time when Babuji assumed the office of the Congress President. It was due to his massive following and goodwill that the Congress scored a thumping majority by winning 352 seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. On 18 March 1971 he resigned as the President of the Indian National Congress.

Emergency was clamped in 1975. Its excesses, subsequently, created an atmosphere of terror. All the opposition leaders were behind bars. In 1977, when finally the election was declared, they found themselves unable to contest elections. During this political uncertainty, Babuji gave up his position of power for the sake of democratic values. He resigned from the Cabinet and the Congress Party and on 2 February 1977, formed the ‘Congress for Democracy’ and led the Opposition. This single act of his created such an upsurge in the country that riding on the crest of a massive wave, for the first time, the opposition came to power at the centre in the form of Janata Party. Thereafter, on 1 May 1977, Babuji merged Congress for Democracy into the Janata Party. He founded Congress (J) on 5 August 1981 and remained its President till the end.

The Green Revolution
As the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Babuji had the credit of saving the country from the severe drought of 1967 and making it self-sufficient in food for the first time in its history. He stopped the import of wheat from U.S.A under the humiliating condition of P.L. 480. He ushered the

Green Revolution. Thanks to record production, it was for the first time that India began to export food grains.

He not only created history but also changed the geography
Immediately after Independence, Pakistan attacked India and occupied a major portion of Kashmir, which is known as the P.O.K.

In the year 1962, India was defeated in the Indo-China war. The then Defence Minister accepted responsibility for the defeat and resigned.

In 1965, the Indo-Pak war was a draw. This war was fought on Indian territory.

In 1970, when Babuji took over as the Minister of Defence, the clouds of war were on the Indian horizon. So, he immediately began preparations, which did lead to desirable results. For the first time, India registered a decisive victory in the war fought from 3-16 December 1971. For the first time war was fought, not on Indian, but on the Pakistani territory. India occupied thousands of acres of land in Pakistan. Nearly one lakh soldiers of Pakistan surrended with arms and ammunitions before the Indian Army and Bangladesh was created.

Before the war began, in spite of himself being an aircrash survivor, Babuji visited every military post to boost the morale of the jawans. After the victory, he again went there to felicitate them. He launched a number of schemes for the families of the martyrs and for the injured. Before the war Babuji had made two promises. First, in case Pakistan attacks, its Army would be pushed back and the war would be fought in Pakistan. The Army of Pakistan would not be allowed to defile our sacred motherland. Second, the territory we win would not be returned. He fulfilled the first promise as the Defence Minister. In fulfilling the second, the Shimla Agreement came in the way.

Casteist mindset
Babuji was not just an individual, but was a symbol of social change. On many occasions, he was close to becoming the Prime Minister of India. Since he played an important role in forming the Janata Government in 1977, majority of MPs wanted him to be the Prime Minister. However, due to the casteist mindset of some powerful people, it was not allowed to happen. People of India still regret it. In 1979, the President, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy invited Babuji to prove his majority, but without waiting even for an hour, he dissolved the Lok Sabha. This act has been questioned by the Constitution experts because there are instances of giving reasonable time to prove majority on the floor of the House to avoid holding unnecessary elections. Clearly, the intention was to prevent Babuji from becoming the Prime Minister of India . In the process, the casteist forces have done incalculable damage to the people of India.

Some milestones :
1. Babuji was the only Dalit freedom fighter at the national level.

2. In the pre-independence era, some were fighting only for the freedom of the country, some only for the rights of the Dalits. Babuji was among that microscopic minority which fought for both.

3. In the interim Government of Viceroy Wavell, out of twelve Ministers, Babuji was the youngest and was the only one to dominate the national scene from 1946 to 1986.

4. Babuji worked for the welfare of all sections of the society while taking more care of the socially and economically deprived.

5. Babuji said – ‘caste system and democracy are incompatible’