- C. Rajagopalachari was an ardent Gandhian and a freedom fighter from Madras. He was influenced by the Lokmanya Tilak and accepted Tilak as his mentor.
- During the non-cooperation, Rajaji gave up his legal practice.
- In 1929, Rajaji became the secretary of the All-India Prohibition Sangh.
- Rajagopalachari’s perspective on most of the national issues was his own. He had his own views on the Quit India Movement and did not participate.
- In 1947, when the term of Lord Mountbatten, the first Governor-General of Independent India, ended, Rajagopalachari was chosen to take his place. With this, he became the first Indian GovernorGeneral and last Governor-General of India. He continued until India became a Republic in January 1950.
- After the death of Sardar Patel in December 1950, Rajaji was appointed the Home Minister. He piloted the Preventive Detention Act in Parliament, which invited critical comments from the opposition.
- Rajaji was the second Chief Minister of Madras state from 1952 to 1954.
- Rajaji was among the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 1954.
- In August 1959, the Nagpur resolution of the Congress called for land ceilings, take-over of food grain trade by the state and adoption of cooperative farming.
- In response, in 1959, Rajaji formed the Swatantra Party. It was against land ceilings in agriculture and opposed cooperative farming and state trading.
- The party was critical of the development strategy of state intervention in the economy, centralised planning, nationalisation and the public sector. Instead, it favoured the expansion of a free private sector.
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