Sir Ponnambala Thiaga Rajan (22 April 1892 – 25 September 1974) was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 4 April 1936, to 24 August 1936 (143 Days).[1][2] He was also the last President of the Justice Party. P. T. Rajan was born in a Thondaimandala mudaliar family in Uthamapalayam. His ancestors were from Kanchipuram. He attended The Leys School, Cambridge and later, Jesus College, Oxford. He graduated in history and law, and practiced as an advocate for some time before joining the Justice Party.
Rajan was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator till his defeat in 1937. He held various offices such as the Minister of Public Works and then, the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency. From 1939 to 1944, Rajan supported Periyar but broke off and headed the rebel Justice Party till 1957. Rajan was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1952 and served as a legislator from 1952 to 1957. Rajan died in 1974 at the age of 82.
Rajan stood as a Justice Party candidate in the 1920 elections and was elected as a member of the Madras Legislative Council. He was also instrumental in getting W. P. A. Soundrapandian Nadar nominated to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party nominee.[9]
In government
In 1930, when the Justice Party returned to power after a gap of 4 years, Rajan was appointed Minister of Public Works. He served as a minister in the governments of P. Munuswamy Naidu and the Raja of Bobbili.[10] On 4 April 1936, he succeeded the Raja of Bobbili as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and held the post till 24 August 1936, when the Raja of Bobbili once again became the chief minister.[2] He was knighted on 1 February 1937.[11]
In 1939, he joined Periyar and wholeheartedly supported his demand for secession from India.[12] However, he broke off with a few others in 1944 when Periyar renamed the Justice Party as Dravidar Kazhagam. He was against the Principles of Periyar as Atheism and also since Periyar converted the political party into a non-political social organization.[12][13][14]
As President of Justice Party
Rajan along with a few dissidents floated a new Justice Party and claimed that their organisation was the original Justice Party.[12][14][15]B. Ramachandra Reddi, who was President of the Madras Legislative Council between 1930 and 1937 was tentatively elected Party President[16] but resigned in 1945 and was succeeded by Rajan.[14][17] The Justice Party did not contest in the 1946 Assembly elections [18] but participated in the 1951 elections, the first as a part of independent India.[19][20] The Justice Party contested nine seats as an unrecognised state-level party of which the party won one.[19] Rajan stood from Madurai North as well as Cumbum.[19] While Rajan lost badly from Madurai North winning only 11% of the total votes polled and finished third, he won by a margin of 11,359 votes from Cumbum.[19][20] The Justice Party did not contest in the 1957 Assembly elections and was eventually dissolved.[21]
Rajan contested as an independent from Uthamapalayam in the 1957 Assembly elections and polled 24,256 votes losing to K. Pandiaraj of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 6,303 votes.[21] Rajan did not contest any more elections after the defeat.
Political activism and ideology
P. T. Rajan, as a leading non-Brahmin leader, supported the appointment of non-Brahmin trustees to temples in Tamil Nadu.[22] In the early 1950s, through his efforts, the present panchaloha idol of Lord Iyappan was installed at Sabarimalai and a procession was taken all over Madras state.[23][24] A road in K. K. Nagar, Chennai has been named in his memory as "Sir P.T. Rajan Road".[25]
Family
P. T. Rajan's uncle M. T. Subramania Mudaliar of Uthamapalayam was a member of the Dravidian Association and one of the early leaders of the Non-Brahmin Movement. He was always consulted with regard to the choice of Ministers by early Chief Ministers such as the Raja of Panagal.[26]
P. T. Rajan's son Palanivel Rajan was a politician of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[24] He served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2001[27] and In 2006, he served as the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in the Government of M. Karunanidhi briefly before his death on 20 May 2006.[24][28] Rajan's grandson Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (son of Palanivel Rajan) is the finance minister of Tamil nadu from 07.05.2021.
Criticism
Rajan's lavish spendings as Minister for Development under the Munuswamy Naidu regime at the height of the Great Depression along with those of others, invited the wrath of the media.
The newspaper India reported in the 25 March 1932 edition:
When the country is on fire, when the axe of retrenchment has fallen on the poor and when the people are experiencing intense suffering under the heavy burden of taxation, the Madras ministers have started on their tours immediately after passing of the Budget. The tour of Honourable Mr. P. T. Rajan causes us heart-burning. We have to feel sorry that the Ministers have been reduced to such a deplorable state. Mr. Rajan is going to Hindupur today which is at a distance of 400 miles from Madras for laying the foundation stone for a Taluk Board School. For this trivial affair, the Minister is squandering the money of the poor tax payer[29][30]
Notes
^"Provinces of British India". World Statesmen. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^ ab"List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu". Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^Christopher John Baker, D. A. Washbrook. South India. Springer, 1976. p. 174. Similarly, the principal Kondaikatti-Thondamandala-Vellala association included among its leaders M. Subramania Mudaliar and his nephew P.T. Rajan from Madura, whom local political tactics had taken into the Justice Party.
^ abcdThe Times of India Directory and Year Book, Including Who's who. Bennett, Coleman & Co. 1977. p. 982.
^Rajan, P. T.; K. Paramasivam (1973). Sir P. T. Rajan's Eighty Second Birthday Souvenir, 1973. Justice Party. p. 237.
^ abMarshall, Peter James (1996). The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire. Cambridge University. p. 365. ISBN978-0-521-00254-7.
^Oxford University Calendar. University of Oxford. 1927. p. 802.
^Rudolph, Susanne Hoeber (1984). The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India. University of Chicago. p. 48. ISBN978-0-226-73137-7.
^ abcGhevergese Joseph, George (2003). George Joseph, the Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist. Orient Blackswan. p. 231. ISBN978-81-250-2495-8.
^Rajawat, Mamta (2005). Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India. Anmol Publications PVT Ltd. p. 245. ISBN978-81-261-2084-0.
^ abcBaliga, B. S. (1957). Madras District Gazetteers. Government of Madras. p. 136.
^Bhaskaran, R. (1967). Sociology of Politics: Tradition and Politics in India. Asia Publishing House. pp. 47.
^B. A. V. Sharma (1980). Political economy of India: a study of land reforms policy in Andhra Pradesh. Light and Life Publishers. p. 172.
^Nārāyaṇan̲, Ka Ilakkumi; T. Gangadharan; N. Chandrasekar (1999). Salem City: An Ethnohistory (1792–1992). Vysya college. p. 90.
^Bandyopādhyāẏa, Śekhara (2004). From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India. Orient Blackswan. p. 349. ISBN978-81-250-2596-2.
^ abcd(PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2007.
^ abRamachandran, V. K. (24 April 2004). . The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 20 June 2004.
^ ab(PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
^Ghose, Rajeshwari (1996). The Tyāgarāja cult in Tamilnāḍu: A Study in Conflict and Accommodation. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 350. ISBN978-81-208-1391-5.
^W. Clothey, Fred; A. K. Ramanujan (1978). The Many Faces of Murukan̲: The History and Meaning of a South Indian God. Walter De Gruyter. p. 201. ISBN978-90-279-7632-1.
^ abcKumar, S. Vijay (21 May 2006). . The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007.
Member of the Madras Legislative Assembly for Cumbum 1952 - 1957
Succeeded by
January 24, 2023
rajan, ponnambala, thiaga, rajan, april, 1892, september, 1974, chief, minister, madras, presidency, from, april, 1936, august, 1936, days, also, last, president, justice, party, born, thondaimandala, mudaliar, family, uthamapalayam, ancestors, were, from, kan. Sir Ponnambala Thiaga Rajan 22 April 1892 25 September 1974 was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 4 April 1936 to 24 August 1936 143 Days 1 2 He was also the last President of the Justice Party P T Rajan was born in a Thondaimandala mudaliar family in Uthamapalayam His ancestors were from Kanchipuram He attended The Leys School Cambridge and later Jesus College Oxford He graduated in history and law and practiced as an advocate for some time before joining the Justice Party SirPonnambala Thiaga RajanRajan in 1934Member of Madras Legislative Assembly for CumbumIn office 1952 1957GovernorSri Prakasa A J John AnaparambilChief MinisterChakravarti Rajagopalachari K Kamaraj8th Chief Minister of Madras PresidencyIn office 4 April 1936 24 August 1936GovernorJohn Erskine Lord Erskine Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu acting Preceded byRaja of BobbiliSucceeded byRaja of BobbiliPersonal detailsBorn22 April 1892Uthamapalayam Madras Presidency British IndiaDied25 September 1974 1974 09 25 aged 82 Madurai Tamil Nadu IndiaPolitical partyJustice PartyChildrenP T R Palanivel RajanAlma materThe Leys School Cambridge Jesus College OxfordOccupationPoliticianProfessionLawyerRajan was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator till his defeat in 1937 He held various offices such as the Minister of Public Works and then the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency From 1939 to 1944 Rajan supported Periyar but broke off and headed the rebel Justice Party till 1957 Rajan was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1952 and served as a legislator from 1952 to 1957 Rajan died in 1974 at the age of 82 Rajan s son Palanivel Rajan served as a minister of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2001 Rajan s grandson Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan son of Palanivel Rajan is the finance minister of Tamil Nadu from May 2021 Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 2 1 In government 2 2 As President of Justice Party 3 Political activism and ideology 4 Family 5 Criticism 6 Notes 7 ReferencesEarly life EditPonnambala Thiaga Rajan 3 was born in 1892 in Theni and belonged to the Kondaikatti Vellalar 4 community He was educated at Ley s School 5 Cambridge and graduated in history 6 from Jesus College Oxford University 5 7 in 1915 8 He later studied law at the Inner Temple and was called to the Bar in 1917 5 and practised as an advocate 5 7 before joining the Justice Party in the early 1920s Political career EditRajan stood as a Justice Party candidate in the 1920 elections and was elected as a member of the Madras Legislative Council He was also instrumental in getting W P A Soundrapandian Nadar nominated to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party nominee 9 In government Edit In 1930 when the Justice Party returned to power after a gap of 4 years Rajan was appointed Minister of Public Works He served as a minister in the governments of P Munuswamy Naidu and the Raja of Bobbili 10 On 4 April 1936 he succeeded the Raja of Bobbili as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and held the post till 24 August 1936 when the Raja of Bobbili once again became the chief minister 2 He was knighted on 1 February 1937 11 In 1939 he joined Periyar and wholeheartedly supported his demand for secession from India 12 However he broke off with a few others in 1944 when Periyar renamed the Justice Party as Dravidar Kazhagam He was against the Principles of Periyar as Atheism and also since Periyar converted the political party into a non political social organization 12 13 14 As President of Justice Party Edit Rajan along with a few dissidents floated a new Justice Party and claimed that their organisation was the original Justice Party 12 14 15 B Ramachandra Reddi who was President of the Madras Legislative Council between 1930 and 1937 was tentatively elected Party President 16 but resigned in 1945 and was succeeded by Rajan 14 17 The Justice Party did not contest in the 1946 Assembly elections 18 but participated in the 1951 elections the first as a part of independent India 19 20 The Justice Party contested nine seats as an unrecognised state level party of which the party won one 19 Rajan stood from Madurai North as well as Cumbum 19 While Rajan lost badly from Madurai North winning only 11 of the total votes polled and finished third he won by a margin of 11 359 votes from Cumbum 19 20 The Justice Party did not contest in the 1957 Assembly elections and was eventually dissolved 21 Rajan contested as an independent from Uthamapalayam in the 1957 Assembly elections and polled 24 256 votes losing to K Pandiaraj of the Indian National Congress by a margin of 6 303 votes 21 Rajan did not contest any more elections after the defeat Political activism and ideology EditP T Rajan as a leading non Brahmin leader supported the appointment of non Brahmin trustees to temples in Tamil Nadu 22 In the early 1950s through his efforts the present panchaloha idol of Lord Iyappan was installed at Sabarimalai and a procession was taken all over Madras state 23 24 A road in K K Nagar Chennai has been named in his memory as Sir P T Rajan Road 25 Family EditP T Rajan s uncle M T Subramania Mudaliar of Uthamapalayam was a member of the Dravidian Association and one of the early leaders of the Non Brahmin Movement He was always consulted with regard to the choice of Ministers by early Chief Ministers such as the Raja of Panagal 26 P T Rajan s son Palanivel Rajan was a politician of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 24 He served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2001 27 and In 2006 he served as the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in the Government of M Karunanidhi briefly before his death on 20 May 2006 24 28 Rajan s grandson Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan son of Palanivel Rajan is the finance minister of Tamil nadu from 07 05 2021 Criticism EditRajan s lavish spendings as Minister for Development under the Munuswamy Naidu regime at the height of the Great Depression along with those of others invited the wrath of the media The newspaper India reported in the 25 March 1932 edition When the country is on fire when the axe of retrenchment has fallen on the poor and when the people are experiencing intense suffering under the heavy burden of taxation the Madras ministers have started on their tours immediately after passing of the Budget The tour of Honourable Mr P T Rajan causes us heart burning We have to feel sorry that the Ministers have been reduced to such a deplorable state Mr Rajan is going to Hindupur today which is at a distance of 400 miles from Madras for laying the foundation stone for a Taluk Board School For this trivial affair the Minister is squandering the money of the poor tax payer 29 30 Notes Edit Provinces of British India World Statesmen Retrieved 20 October 2008 a b List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu Retrieved 20 October 2008 South Indian Celebrities Pg 54 Christopher John Baker D A Washbrook South India Springer 1976 p 174 Similarly the principal Kondaikatti Thondamandala Vellala association included among its leaders M Subramania Mudaliar and his nephew P T Rajan from Madura whom local political tactics had taken into the Justice Party a b c d The Times of India Directory and Year Book Including Who s who Bennett Coleman amp Co 1977 p 982 Rajan P T K Paramasivam 1973 Sir P T Rajan s Eighty Second Birthday Souvenir 1973 Justice Party p 237 a b Marshall Peter James 1996 The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire Cambridge University p 365 ISBN 978 0 521 00254 7 Oxford University Calendar University of Oxford 1927 p 802 Rudolph Susanne Hoeber 1984 The Modernity of Tradition Political Development in India University of Chicago p 48 ISBN 978 0 226 73137 7 Encyclopedia of Political Parties Pg 150 London Gazette 1 February 1937 a b c Ghevergese Joseph George 2003 George Joseph the Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist Orient Blackswan p 231 ISBN 978 81 250 2495 8 Rajawat Mamta 2005 Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India Anmol Publications PVT Ltd p 245 ISBN 978 81 261 2084 0 a b c Baliga B S 1957 Madras District Gazetteers Government of Madras p 136 Bhaskaran R 1967 Sociology of Politics Tradition and Politics in India Asia Publishing House pp 47 B A V Sharma 1980 Political economy of India a study of land reforms policy in Andhra Pradesh Light and Life Publishers p 172 Narayaṇan Ka Ilakkumi T Gangadharan N Chandrasekar 1999 Salem City An Ethnohistory 1792 1992 Vysya college p 90 Bandyopadhyaẏa Sekhara 2004 From Plassey to Partition A History of Modern India Orient Blackswan p 349 ISBN 978 81 250 2596 2 a b c d Statistical report on General Election 1951 to the Legislative Assembly of Madras PDF Election Commission of India Archived from the original PDF on 17 February 2007 a b Ramachandran V K 24 April 2004 Not good practice The Hindu Chennai India Archived from the original on 20 June 2004 a b Statistical report on General Election 1957 to the Legislative Assembly of Madras PDF Election Commission of India Archived from the original PDF on 17 February 2007 Retrieved 1 January 2009 Ghose Rajeshwari 1996 The Tyagaraja cult in Tamilnaḍu A Study in Conflict and Accommodation Motilal Banarsidass p 350 ISBN 978 81 208 1391 5 W Clothey Fred A K Ramanujan 1978 The Many Faces of Murukan The History and Meaning of a South Indian God Walter De Gruyter p 201 ISBN 978 90 279 7632 1 a b c Kumar S Vijay 21 May 2006 Madurai mourns its colossal boss The Hindu Chennai India Archived from the original on 14 May 2007 Gravediggers on the prowl on KK Nagar roads Encyclopedia of Political Parties Pg 128 Tamil Nadu 11th Assembly 1996 2001 Government of Tamil Nadu Retrieved 22 October 2008 P T R Rajan Passes Away The Hindu Chennai India 21 May 2006 Archived from the original on 21 July 2006 Manikumar K A 2003 A Colonial Economy in the Great Depression Madras 1929 1937 Orient Blackswan p 185 ISBN 978 81 250 2456 9 Manikumar K A 2003 A Colonial Economy in the Great Depression Madras 1929 1937 Orient Blackswan p 186 ISBN 978 81 250 2456 9 References EditBalasubramaniam K M 1934 South Indian Celebrities Vol 1 Madras Solden amp Co Ralhan O P 2002 Encyclopaedia of Political Parties Anmol Publications PVT LTD ISBN 978 81 7488 865 5 Preceded by Member of the Madras Legislative Council1920 1937 Succeeded byPreceded byM R Sethuratnam Iyer Minister of Development Public Works and Registration Madras Presidency 1930 1937 Succeeded byMaulana Yakub Hasan SaitPreceded byRaja of Bobbili Chief Minister of Madras Presidency4 April 1936 24 August 1936 Succeeded byRaja of BobbiliPreceded byE V Ramasami President of the South Indian Liberal Federation1945 1957 Succeeded byParty dissolvedPreceded byNone Member of the Madras Legislative Assembly for Cumbum1952 1957 Succeeded by Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title P T Rajan amp oldid 1113413216, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
