O.P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar: Madras’s First CM

Months before India became free, Madras already had a new head of government. His name was O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar. He took office on 23 March 1947.

His rule lasted just over two years. But in that short time his government opened temples to Dalits by law. It also ended the devadasi system.

1Who was O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar?

He was born on 1 February 1895 in Omandur. This village is near Tindivanam in South Arcot district. At that time the district was part of the Madras Presidency.

His early years fell in a time of change. Gandhi had made the Congress a mass movement. Many young men in the Madras countryside took up its cause.

He came from a Reddiar family. He went to school at Walter Scudder school. He entered the freedom movement while still young.

He was also a devotee of Vallalar. Vallalar was a Tamil saint and reformer of the nineteenth century.

• Born 1 February 1895 at Omandur.
• Schooled at Walter Scudder school.
• A devotee of Vallalar.
• Joined the Congress and the freedom movement early.

2How did he become Premier of Madras?

He became Premier of Madras on 23 March 1947. India was not yet free. The post carried the title Premier then.

The Constitution later changed the title to Chief Minister. Many books still call him the first Chief Minister of independent Madras. That is a loose use of the title.

India became independent while he was in office. Soon after Partition, the province faced a shortage of food grains, especially rice.

In 1948 he ordered a de Havilland Dove aeroplane. It was the first plane owned by the Madras government.

• Premier from 23 March 1947, months before independence.
• The title was Premier, not yet Chief Minister.
• Faced a rice shortage after Partition.
• Bought a de Havilland Dove in 1948.

3What reforms did his government pass?

The first big reform was the Madras Temple Entry Authorisation Act. The Governor approved it on 11 May 1947. It became Madras Act 5 of 1947.

The Act gave Dalits and other barred Hindus the right to enter temples. Before this, caste custom kept many people out.

The second reform came later in 1947. A Devadasi Act ended the dedication of girls to temple service. Reformers like Muthulakshmi Reddy had long asked for such a law.

Why did temple entry matter so much? Worship was a daily part of life. Being kept out of a temple was a public sign of low status. A legal right to enter was a first step toward equal dignity.

Both laws came in his first year. They show a government that moved early on caste and gender questions.

• Temple Entry Act approved on 11 May 1947.
• Passed as Madras Act 5 of 1947.
• A Devadasi Act followed in 1947.
• Read about Muthulakshmi Reddy and the Poona Pact.

4Why did he lose office in 1949?

His rise and fall both ran through his own party. In 1948, T. Prakasam opposed him in the Congress Legislature Party vote. Reddiyar still won, because K. Kamaraj backed him.

Party leaders then grew unhappy. He would not give them special privileges. In 1949 Kamaraj backed P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja instead.

C. Rajagopalachari, P. Subbarayan and T. Prakasam all supported Reddiyar. He still lost the vote. He stepped down on 6 April 1949.

Madras politics of that time was shaped by strong party bosses. A Premier needed their goodwill as well as the Governor’s trust. Reddiyar would not pay that price.

So he fell over party politics, not over a scandal. That is a favourite exam point.

• Won the 1948 party vote with Kamaraj’s help.
• Lost the 1949 vote to P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja.
• Backers: Rajagopalachari, Subbarayan, Prakasam.
• Resigned on 6 April 1949.
• Read about Kamaraj, Rajagopalachari and Prakasam.

5How is he remembered?

After he left office in 1949, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly. Sources give this detail only in passing.

He wrote on farm economy. His works include a 1948 paper on agrarian reforms and a 1949 address on land mortgage banks.

He died on 25 August 1970. India released a stamp in his honour on 25 August 2010. The building complex that houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly also carries his name.

• Elected to the Constituent Assembly after 1949, say the sources.
• Wrote on agrarian reforms and land mortgage banks.
• Died 25 August 1970.
• Stamp released 25 August 2010.

6What are the exam traps?

Several details are easy to blur.

• He was Premier in 1947; Chief Minister came as a title later.
• He became Premier before independence, not after it.
• He lost office through a party vote, not a scandal.
• Do not confuse him with K. Chengalaraya Reddy of Mysore or with a Reddy of Andhra.