Perunthalaivar Prof. M. C. Rajah -- The First Leader Who Organized The Scheduled Classes At The National Level In India.

Ambedkar and M. C. Rajah (2nd row, left and right corner)

Prof. M. C. Rajah was the National Leader and forerunner to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in his day. In fact Perunthalaivar M. C. Rajah was the first leader who organized the Scheduled Classes at the national level in India, and the most prominent Scheduled Classes leader of pre-independent India. He was the pioneer of Mid-day Meal Scheme in India. 

Facts About Prof. M. C. RAJAH:

Born- 17 June 1883.

Died- 23 August 1943.

Full Name- Mylai Chinnathambi Rajah (M. C. RAJAH).
In Tamil 'Perunthalaivar' means 'Great Leader'.

Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah

Perunthalaivar M. C. Rajah was one of the earliest known degree holders from the Scheduled Classes of India. He was educated at the Madras Christian College, Chennai. He started his career as Teacher and then Professor. He was keen cricketer, a poet. As an educationist, he gave more importance to education. He served on various educational committees. In 1917, he was nominated by Lord Pentland to the Elementary Education Committee. In 1919, he served on the select committee of the Elementary Education Bill. He was also a member of the Secondary Education Reorganization Committee etc., In 1924, Lord Wellingdon nominated him to the Senate of Madras University. He wrote books on English and Tamil Grammar, Logic, Philosophy and Psychology. His books were prescribed as text books in elementary schools like 'Neethimarga Kathaikalum Padalgalum' (Ethics, Parables and Songs). Some other books are 'The Oppressed Hindus, Kindergarten Room, King George-V etc.,

He participated in various agitations such as temple entry agitation, change of nomenclature, civil rights etc., He was one of the founder members of the Justice Party. In 1918, he met the South Borough Committee and appealed for the right to vote and representation in the legislatures. In 1919, he met Meston committee and succeeded in getting the famous Meston award. It was because of M. C. Rajah and Thatha Rettamalai Srinivasan, for the first time in India the Communal representation for the Scheduled Classes given under the Act of 1919. So, the Scheduled Classes were nominated to the Provincial Legislatures from 1920. [ Provincial Legislatures: Madras- 10, CP- 4, Bengal- 1, UP- 1, Bihar- 2 and Bombay- 2 ] The Government of India Act of 1919 made provisions for the grant of 10 nominated seats to them in the Madras Legislature. Before this, there was no representation to the Scheduled Classes in India. Later M. C. Rajah was the first member of the Scheduled Classes in India to be elected to the Legislature (Madras Legislative Council). He urged representation to the Scheduled Classes in Public Service also. He argued that the predominance of any particular class in the Public Services was danger to the country.

He was the first person who demanded 'Separate Electorates' for the Scheduled Classes in India. Also he was the first member of the Scheduled Classes in India to be the Member of Central Legislative Assembly (1927 to 1937). In 1937, he was appointed as a Minister for Development in the Interim's Government in Madras under the Chief Minister of K.V. Reddy. He demanded representation in all the councils of the country and in all Local Bodies.

In 1925, Perunthalaivar M. C. Rajah formed the first national level Scheduled Classes organization named 'All India Depressed Classes Association' at Nagpur. Khemchand Bohare from Agra was elected its Vice-President and Ganesh Gawai of Amravati as its General Secretary.

Begum Suhrawardy, Rajagopal, Mrs and Mr. Rao Bahadur M.C. Rajah 
(Left to Right)

In 1930-31 Round Table Conferences were held in London where the separate electorate was confirmed for the Depressed Classes. This ideology was first mooted and strongly supported by M. C. RAJAH. Originally Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah stood for the Separate Electorates and Dr. Ambedkar for the Joint Electorates with Adult Suffrage and Reservation of seats. But Dr. Ambedkar changed his state of mind to the separate electorate, putting forth separate electorates as an united demand of the then Depressed Classes due to the pressure from M.C. Rajah and Madras Presidency Organisations in 1931. However M.C. Rajah changed his mind to Joint Electorates with reserved seats on population basis, due to less representation of the Minority Pact of 1931.

The change in the nomenclature of Paraih, Mala, Madiga, Holeyas etc., into a racial common name as Adi-Dravida, Adi-Andhra, Adi-Karnataka were done as a result of the concentrated efforts taken by M. C. Rajah in 1922. For the first time in India 'The Untochability Abolition Bill of 1933' was introduced by him in Central Legislative Assembly at Delhi on 24th March, 1933. But it was opposed by the orthodox Hindus. He raised strong objection to Mr. Gandhi's calling the name Harijans to the Scheduled Classes.

Both Dr. Ambedkar and Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah were worked together except in 1932 and 1935-36. There was no longer difference of opinion between Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Perunthalaivar M. C. Rajah. Together they advanced the various tasks. We can find the coalition between them in Sir Stafford Cripps Mission, 1 April 1942. Till his death, M.C. Rajah collaborated with Ambedkar. In November, 1938, M.C. Rajah made a fervent 'Plea for a separate Scheduled Caste party'. Both M. C. Rajah and Dr. Ambedkar were served in the National Defence Advisory Committee. When Thanthai Sivaraj and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar founded the All India Scheduled Castes Federation in 1942, he supported it later.

Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah

When the Cripps Mission visited India under the chairmanship of Cripps in March 1942 to negotiate for a future constitution of India, Prof M. C. Rajah and Dr. Ambedkar represented the Scheduled Classes of India. For this reason they were bitterly against by Jagjivan Ram's All India Depressed Classes League. On 28 March 1942 the General Secretary of the All India Depressed Classes League said, "Dr. Ambedkar and M. C. Rajah may represent their particular caste but they have no locus standi to represent all the depressed classes of India."

He died on Monday, 23 August 1943 at the age of 60 at his house in Chennai. To honour his works, B.S. Murthy founded the M.C. Rajah Memorial Hostel for the college students of the Scheduled Classes in 1944 at Saidapet in Madras.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in his 'What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables ?' wrote: "The only leading member from the Untouchable community was the late Dewan Bahadur M. C. Rajah. He was a nominated member of the Central Assembly from 1927. He had nothing to do with the Congress either inside or outside the Assembly. Indeed, he was not merely a critic of the Congress but its adversary. He stood for separate electorates for the Untouchables to which the Congress was bitterly opposed."

Ambeth,

Dharmapuri,

Tamil Nadu.

Reference:
* 'Morning Star M. C. Rajah' by Dr. G. Thangavelu. [NCBH Publications]

* Transfer of Power and the Crisis of Dalit Politics in India, 1945-1947 by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay.

* Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches: English Volume 9 - 'What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables?'

More About Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah:
* Both Perunthalaivar M. C. Rajah and Dr. Ambedkar Were Determined NOT to be Part of the Hindu Fold.

* Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah: The Pioneer for Mid-day Meal Scheme in India.

* Cripps Mission (1942): Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

* Perunthalaivar M.C. Rajah, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Manusmriti.