Jagjivan Ram
Topic: Framing the Indian Constitution · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Framing the Constitution"
Meaning
Jagjivan Ram was a Dalit leader from Bihar and a Congress member of the Constituent Assembly. He was Labour Member in the Interim Government formed under Nehru in September 1946. This was the government that ran India's affairs just before Independence. He later served for many years as a Union minister. He was Defence Minister during the 1971 war and became Deputy Prime Minister in 1979. His career showed that Dalit leaders could hold the highest offices in independent India.
Example
In 1946 Jagjivan Ram joined the Interim Government as Labour Member. He was one of its youngest members and one of the few Dalit leaders at the centre of power.
Don't confuse with
- B.R. Ambedkar: also a Dalit leader, but he was law minister and chaired the Drafting Committee. Jagjivan Ram was a Congressman who held the labour post and later the defence post.
Related concepts
- N.G. Ranga
- Jaipal Singh
- Adivasi
- J. Nagappa
- K.J. Khanderkar
- Dakshayani Velayudhan
- Hansa Mehta
- Abolition of untouchability
- Reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes