This article is part of a series by The Wire titled ‘The Early Parliamentarians’, exploring the lives and work of post-independence MPs who have largely been forgotten. The series looks at the institutions they helped create, the enduring ideas they left behind and the contributions they made to nation building.

Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji, was a freedom fighter, a crusader for social justice, a champion of the depressed classes, an outstanding parliamentarian, a distinguished Union minister, an able administrator and a gifted orator. His towering personality spanned over half a century in Indian politics with commitment and dedication.

During his illustrious political career, he narrowly missed being the president of India in 1969. A decade later, he was denied the office of prime minister in July 1979, when then president Neelam Sanjiva Reddy rejected his claim to form the government after the fall of Morarji Desai's government.

Jagjivan Ram served as a minister with various portfolios for over 30 years, making him the longest-serving Union cabinet minister in Indian history. He also served as the deputy prime minister of India from January to July 1979. As defence minister, he played a pivotal role in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. As Union agriculture minister, he significantly contributed to the Green Revolution and modernised Indian agriculture, particularly during the 1974 drought, when he was tasked with addressing a severe food crisis.

He started his public life as a student activist and freedom fighter. He became a legislator at 28 in 1936 as a nominated member of the Bihar Legislative Council. Later that year, he was elected unopposed to the Bihar Legislative Assembly from East Central Shahabad (Rural). He was appointed parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Co-operative Industry and Village Development under the Congress government but resigned in 1938 over the issues of Andaman prisoners and India's involvement in World War II.

Jagjivan Ram was born in a small village, Chandwa near Ara, in Shahabad district (now Bhojpur), Bihar, on April 5, 1908, into a Jatav-Dalit family. His father, a religious leader of the Shiv Narayani Sect, instilled in him humanitarian values and resilience. He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his mother, completing his matriculation in the first division from Arrah Town School despite facing caste-based discrimination. He went on to complete his Inter Science Examination from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and later graduated from Calcutta University.

Young Jagjivan attended a local school in 1914. Upon his father's premature death, he faced economic hardships but continued his education. At Arrah Town School in 1922, he encountered caste discrimination when he was denied access to the common water pot. In protest, he repeatedly broke a separate pot designated for Dalits until the principal abolished the practice. Despite such discrimination, he excelled academically.

A turning point in his life came in 1925 when Madan Mohan Malviya, impressed by his speech, invited him to join BHU. There, he received the Birla scholarship but faced discrimination in hostel facilities and services. He organised protests against social discrimination, later continuing his education at Calcutta University. In 2007, BHU established the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chair in its faculty of social sciences to study caste discrimination and economic backwardness.

At Calcutta, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose noticed him when he organised a Mazdoor Rally in 1928 at Wellington Square. Jagjivan Ram earned his BSc degree from the University of Calcutta in 1931, where he organised conferences highlighting discrimination and participated in M.K. Gandhi's anti-untouchability movement.

During the 1934 Bihar earthquake, he actively engaged in relief efforts. With the introduction of popular rule under the 1935 Act, he was sought after for his knowledge of Bihar's social and economic conditions. He joined the Congress and was nominated to the Bihar Council, and later elected to the Bihar Assembly in 1937. However, he resigned over the issue of the irrigation cess.

In 1934, he founded the Akhil Bharatiya Ravidas Mahasabha in Calcutta and the All India Depressed Classes League, dedicated to attaining equality for Dalits. He organised Ravidas Sammelans and celebrated Guru Ravidas Jayanti across Calcutta, involving the depressed classes in the freedom struggle. He believed Dalit leaders should fight for social reforms and demand political representation. On October 19, 1935, he appeared before the Hammond Commission in Ranchi and, for the first time, demanded voting rights for Dalits.

Inspired by Gandhi, Jagjivan Ram played a crucial role in the freedom struggle. He was arrested on December 10, 1940 and again on August 19, 1942 for his participation in the Quit India Movement.

In 1946, he was elected unopposed to the Constituent Assembly, which drafted India's Constitution. He advocated for Dalit rights and affirmative action in elected bodies and government services. On August 30, 1946, he was invited to be part of the interim government as the only Dalit member, taking charge of the labour ministry. He was the youngest minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's interim government and ensured that social justice was enshrined in the Constitution.

As labour minister, he laid the foundation for several labour welfare policies and attended the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conference in Geneva on August 16, 1947. A few days later, he was elected president of the ILO's International Labour Conference. He served as labour minister until 1952 and later held several ministerial posts, including communications (1952–56), transport and railways (1956–62), and transport and communications (1962–63).

Jagjivan Ram remained in the INC for decades, serving in various ministries. In Indira Gandhi's government, he served as minister for labour, employment, and rehabilitation (1966-67) and Union minister for food and agriculture (1967-70), where he led the Green Revolution.

When the Congress split in 1969, he joined Indira Gandhi’s faction and became its president. He served as defence minister (1970-74), agriculture and irrigation minister (1974-77), and played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, leading to Bangladesh's independence.

Since 1937, he played a dominant role in Congress, holding key positions. He was a member of the All India Congress Committee from 1940 to 1977 and the Congress Working Committee from 1948 to 1977. Due to his astute political acumen, he was valued by leaders like Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He holds the record for being the longest-serving cabinet minister in India.

Though he supported Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, he left Congress in 1977 and joined the Janata Party alliance after forming the Congress for Democracy party. As defence minister (1977–79), he oversaw military policies and reforms. When the Janata Party split, early elections were held in 1980. Jagjivan Ram contested as Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, but the party won only 31 seats. Disillusioned, he joined Congress (Urs) and later formed Congress (J) in 1981.

He remained a Member of Parliament from 1952 until his death in 1986, representing the Sasaram constituency in Bihar. His uninterrupted representation in parliament from 1936 to 1986 is a world record.

To propagate his ideologies, the Ministry of Social Justice, Government of India, established the 'Babu Jagjivan Ram National Foundation' in Delhi.

Jagjivan Ram was married to Indrani Devi in June 1935. Indrani Devi was a freedom fighter and educationist. They had a son, Suresh Kumar (born 1938), and a daughter, Meira Kumar (born 1945).

At 78, Jagjivan Ram passed away on July 6, 1986 while still serving as a member of the Lok Sabha. His cremation ground, Samta Sthal, stands as a memorial. Every year on April 5, India celebrates ‘Samta Diwas’ (Equality Day) in his honour.

Qurban Ali is a trilingual journalist who has covered some of modern India’s major political, social and economic developments. He has a keen interest in India’s freedom struggle and is now documenting the history of the socialist movement in the country.

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