Lord George Gordon
British politician (1752-1793)
Morarji Desai was an influential Indian politician who served as the Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979. He was involved in India’s independence movement and held several important government positions throughout his long career, including Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister. Desai was known for his peace activism and efforts to improve relations between India and its neighboring countries.
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About the Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desaiwas an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India between 1977 and 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of India.
Following the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai was a strong contender for the position of Prime Minister, only to be defeated by Indira Gandhi in 1966. He was appointed as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet, until 1969. When Indian National Congress split in 1969 he became a part of the INC (O). After the controversial emergency was lifted in 1977, the political parties of the opposition fought together against the Congress (I), under the umbrella of the Janata Party, and won the 1977 election. Desai was elected prime minister, and became the first non-Congress prime minister of India. Desai was the second and the last prime minister to have been born in the nineteenth century.
On the international scene, Desai holds international fame for his peace activism and created efforts to initiate peace between two rival South Asian states, Pakistan and India. After India’s first nuclear test in 1974, Desai helped restore friendly relations with China and Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict such as the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. He was honoured with the highest civilian award of Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Pakistan on 19 May 1990.
He is the oldest person to hold the office of prime minister, at the age of 81, in the history of Indian politics. He subsequently retired from all political posts, but continued to campaign for the Janata Party in 1980. He was conferred with India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. He died at the age of 99 in 1995.
Frequently Asked Questions
Morarji Desai was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of India between 1977 and 1979, leading the government formed by the Janata Party.
During his long career in politics, Morarji Desai held many important posts in the Indian government, such as Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of India.
After the controversial emergency was lifted in 1977, the political parties of the opposition fought together against the Congress (I), under the umbrella of the Janata Party, and won the 1977 election. Morarji Desai was then elected as the Prime Minister, becoming the first non-Congress prime minister of India.
Morarji Desai held international fame for his peace activism and created efforts to initiate peace between India and its rival neighbor, Pakistan. After India’s first nuclear test in 1974, Desai helped restore friendly relations with China and Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict.
Morarji Desai was the oldest person to hold the office of prime minister, at the age of 81, in the history of Indian politics. He was also conferred with India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, and the highest civilian award of Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Pakistan.
17 Quotes by Morarji Desai
- 1.
Life at any time can become difficult: life at any time can become easy. It all depends upon how one adjusts oneself to life.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 2.
I do not want to go into its physical reasons: the construction of the human body is different from that of carnivorous animals. But man’s intelligence is such that it can be utilised to defend any-thing he does, whether right or wrong.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 3.
An expert gives an objective view. He gives his own view.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 4.
I do not say that one who is vegetarian is full of compassion and one who is not, is otherwise. We sometimes find people, who are vegetarians, are very bad people.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 5.
In the early ages, I believe not much thought was given to what man is and what his real functions should be, and what is the real purpose of his life.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 6.
It is, therefore, a fact that anybody who wants to realise Truth or who wants to be humane, must follow non-violent ways of life, otherwise he will not be able to reach the Truth.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 7.
One has got to choose between the two evils, also between the lesser of the two evils in the matter of food, and therefore vegetarian food has got to he taken by man in order to sustain human life.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 8.
As long as man eats animals how can cruelty to animals be removed.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 9.
One can’t be kind to one person and cruel to another.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 10.
I believe in preventing cruelty to all living beings in any form.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 11.
We should propagate the values of vegetarianism.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 12.
If we do not want to be pained by anybody we must not pain anybody; and how can man consider himself humane if he wants to live at the cost of others.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 13.
From this it follows that con-sideration for other persons or for other living beings is very vital for goodness and want of consideration for other people makes human beings selfish, regardless for other people’s good.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 14.
I would, therefore, say that for no reason whatsoever, except in self-defence, should one think of killing any animal.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 15.
For those who believe in God the matter is simpler still and clearly than anything else: because those who believe in God believe that God is the Creator of the whole Universe and there is nothing that does not come from Him.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 16.
The vegetarian movement is an ancient movement and is not quite a modern one.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India
- 17.
Therefore, vegetarianism alone can give us the quality of com-passion, which distinguishes man from the rest of the animal world.
Morarji DesaiFourth prime minister of India