Jayanti special: The Dalit politician who was elected President with record votes and traveled from the lap of poverty to the highest peak

Obnews Desk: There have been many politicians in the country's politics whose journey seems no less than an exciting story. Today i.e. Sunday 27th October is the 104th birth anniversary of one such politician who traveled from the lap of poverty to becoming the first citizen of the country. The story of whose records is such that you may not even be able to believe it after hearing it. But this is the reality. We are talking about the tenth President of India, KR Narayanan.

Today i.e. 27th October is the birth anniversary of KR Narayanan. Although he was the first Dalit President of the country, his caste played no role in his education from school to the London School of Economics. KR Narayanan came into politics after retiring from the Indian Foreign Service. He was an MP from Kerala for three consecutive terms, became a cabinet minister in Rajiv Gandhi's government and then became the Vice President. After this, in 1997 he became the first Dalit President of the country.

Born in Uzhavoor, Kerala

KR Narayan was born on 27 October 1920 in a Dalit family in Uzhavoor, a village in Kerala. His family belonged to the Parvan caste. The main occupation of the family was coconut cracking. Narayan's father Kocheril Raman was a well-known Ayurvedic doctor. The financial condition of the family was not good. Despite this, the father understood the importance of education very well. He got Narayanan admitted in a primary school in Uzhavoor. Narayanan passed his matriculation examination from St. Mary's High School in 1937. After completing his intermediate from CMS School, Kottayam, he obtained an English Honors degree from Travancore University.

Studied at London School of Economics

After this he worked as a journalist, raised money and completed his studies from London School of Economics. After returning from there, Pandit Nehru appointed him as the Foreign Secretary. After retiring from which, KR Narayanan came into politics at the behest of Indira Gandhi and joined Congress. KR Narayanan contested elections for the first time at the age of 64. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Ottapalal seat in Kerala. He won the election from this seat three times in a row. After becoming an MP, he became a cabinet minister in Rajiv Gandhi's government.

Political entry on Indira's proposal

In the Rajiv Gandhi government, Narayanan held the Ministry of External Affairs as well as the Department of Science and Technology. Later the Congress party was out of power in 1989. Narayanan was unanimously elected Vice President of India on 21 August 1992. His name was recommended by former Prime Minister and Janata Dal leader VP Singh. Later Narasimha Rao also supported his name. Left parties have criticized K.R. Had supported in making Narayanan the Vice President. In the year 1997, when the tenure of the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma was about to end, the question was who would be the next President.

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However, as Vice President, K.R. Narayan was being considered as the next presidential candidate. But the Congress Working Committee authorized the then party president Sitaram Kesari to choose the presidential candidate. On behalf of the opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the responsibility of taking this decision was given to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The then Congress President Sitaram Kesari and United Front convenor N. Chandrababu Naidu held a high-level meeting and K.R. Agreed on the name of Narayan.

President elected with record votes

After this, BJP also decided to support Narayanan. With this it was almost certain that Narayan would be elected to the post of President. In the year 1997 when K.R. Narayanan was made the presidential candidate from Congress i.e. United Front, at that time BJP also supported Narayanan. However, at that time Vishwa Hindu Parishad, under K.R. Questions were raised on Narayanan being a Dalit. Vishwa Hindu Parishad President Ashok Singhal had alleged that Narayanan was a Christian. KR Narayanan was elected the tenth President of India with a record 956,290 votes in the presidential election.

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His only rival, former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan, had his bail forfeited. Seshan got 50,631 votes. In this election, former bureaucrat Sheshan had the support of Shiv Sena and some independent MLAs. According to Returning Officer S Gopalan, Narayanan had received the highest number of valid votes in terms of value in any presidential election held up to that time. KR Narayanan also wrote many books. Narayanan's books include 'India and America Essays in Understanding', 'Images and Insights' and 'Non-Alignment in Contemporary International Relations'.

Narayan received many awards

Narayanan also received many awards at national and international level. In 1998, he was given the 'World Statesman Award' by The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, New York. The University of Toledo, America, honored Narayan with a doctorate degree. The University of Australia honored Narayan with the title of 'Doctor of Laws'. Narayan also received a doctorate in political science from San Carlos University, Turkey. In 2005, Narayan's health deteriorated. Due to pneumonia his kidneys stopped functioning. He breathed his last on 9 November 2005 at the Army Research and Referral Hospital, Delhi.