S. Nijalingappa

Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa (10 December 1902 – 8 August 2000) was an Indian Congress Party politician, lawyer, and Indian independence activist. He was the fourth Chief Minister of Mysore State (now Karnataka), serving two terms (1956–1958 and 1962–1968). In addition to the Indian independence movement, he played an important role in the Karnataka Unification movement.

Early life and education Nijalingappa was born on 10 December 1902 to a middle-class family in Haluvagalu, a village in the Bellary district of the Madras Presidency. Nijalingappa’s father, who was a small businessman, died when he was five years old, while his mother was a homemaker. His family belonged to the Banajiga Lingayat community, and Nijalingappa’s mother was a devotee of Shiva. In 1924, he graduated with a degree in Arts from Central College, Bengaluru, and obtained a law degree from the Indian Law Society's Law College, Pune, in 1926.

When people expressed their distrust in the party in the 1967 elections, Nijalingappa became Congress President. He chaired two Congress sessions in 1968 and 1969 in Hyderabad and Faridabad, respectively. During this time, the factional feud within the party increased and finally resulted in the historic split of the party in 1969. He was the last president of an undivided Indian National Congress, as the party was then divided into Congress (Organization), which consisted of senior leaders like Nijalingappa, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, K. Kamaraj, and Morarji Desai; and Congress (R), which supported Indira Gandhi.

After the Congress split, Nijalingappa gradually retired from politics. He later served as chairman of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Society.

Posts held

1936–1940: president of Chitaldroog District Congress Committee 1937–1938: member of the Mysore Legislative Council 1938–1950: member of the Mysore Congress Working Committee 1942–1945: general secretary of the Mysore Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) 1945–1946: president of the Mysore PCC 1946: president of the Karnataka PCC member of the Constituent Assembly of India and Provisional Parliament 1948–1950: member and president of the Constituent Assembly of Mysore 1949: member of the Congress Working Committee member of the Gopal Rao Enquiry Committee, Government of Mysore

Death and legacy Nijalingappa died on 9 August 2000 at his residence in Chitradurga at the age of 97.

In 1963, Nijalingappa as Chief Minister, decided to establish UAS along the lines of Land Grant College system of USA and passed the University of Agricultural Sciences Bill (Act No. 22). He granted 1300 acres to Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra Campus.

Nijalingappa was widely revered, even after his retirement, and was known for his simplicity and integrity. He is remembered fondly by the Tibetan community of India because as Chief Minister of Karnataka he gave land to Tibetan refugees for the purpose of resettlement. Now, Karnataka has the largest Tibetan settlements and the largest population in exile, with the four Tibetan settlements of Bylakuppe, Mundgod, Kollegal, and Gurupura (near Bylakuppe) in Karnataka.

In 2003, a stamp honouring Nijalingappa was issued. A memorial of Nijalingappa was built beside NH-4 on the outskirts of Chitradurga; it was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama on 29 January 2011. Karnataka chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa declared that he would name the sugar research institute in Belgaum after Nijalingappa.