Vasantdada Patil
An intense patriot, capable party organizer and Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Birth: 13th November 1917
Vasantdada Patil was a prominent leader who was instrumental in giving the cooperative sector in Maharashtra a decisive direction towards development. His career that spans his work as a revolutionary and freedom fighter to his constructive work post independence, as a political leader who increased the strength of the party to an influential Chief Minister and leader of co-operative movement, is indeed overwhelming.
He was born in the small village of Padmale, Tasgav taluka, Sangli district. Vasantdada was elected as Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times between 1977 and 1985. In total, he has held the Chief Ministership for four years. He has also been the Governor of Rajasthan for a short span of time. He first became a Minister in 1972. Prior to that he got elected as a Member of Parliament representing the district of Sangli in the first election held in India in1952. Thereafter, he continued to represent Sangli in the House of People as well as House of Parliament for the next 25 years. During his political career he presided over various organizations such as the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, the National Mill Workers Front and the Maharashtra State Congress. He gave special importance to his political party’s work. After Vasantdada, the Congress Party is yet to find a leader from Maharashtra who was so influential in strengthening the party. Political observers also note that it was thanks to his efforts that the presence of the Congress remained strong in rural parts of Maharashtra. It is said about Vasantdada that he was a political power who was never greedy for power.
As a leader of Maharashtra, Vasantdada’s decisions ensured positive and long term results for society. In 1983, he founded several medical, engineering and polytechnic institutes which worked on a non-grant basis. This produced revolutionary effects in the field of education. It facilitated educational opportunities for rural students as well as laid the foundation for educational and hence industrial progress. Vasantdada appointed a council by the name ofSatyashodhan Samiti under the leadership of renowned economist V. M. Dandekar to take a survey of the development related work in the State. It was through this council’s report that the terms like balanced development and Vidarbha-Marathwada backlog originated. In that period, he initiated important schemes like free state-transport facility for school children, free transport of Tiffin carriers for outstation students and cheap loans for farmers. The method ofPaani Adva, Paani Jirva (a slogan stressing the importance of creating a barrier to flowing water, allowing it to percolate) was first put forth by Vasantdada. The seeds of his socially beneficial decisions are seen in his patriotism and work as a revolutionary.
Vasantdada had joined the freedom struggle in 1930 at a very tender age. Four youth of Solapur became martyrs in the civil disobedience movement. In memory of these martyrs, Vasantdada quit drinking tea. He became even more active in the struggle after 1940. During the Quit India Movement of 1942, he participated in activities such as breaking phone wires, burning down post offices, damage railways and fire pistol bombs in Sangli district to intensify the revolt against the British. He went undercover for a short span during those times. He was imprisoned for three years. In 1943 he got shot in the arm when trying to escape from the prison and his incarceration was extended for attempting to break out. The people of Sangli, including the likes of Ramanand Bharti and Barrister Nath Pai, had held huge meetings and processions to protest against his imprisonment. Vasantdada, along with Krantisingh Nana Patil and Yashwantrao Chavan, was at the forefront of the freedom struggle in the Sangli-Satara region. Post independence, he was instrumental in taking away the arms from the hands of the freedom fighters and motivating them to do constructive work for free India.
Vasantdada’s most important contribution to the development of Maharashtra is the development and spread of the co-operative movement. Through the medium of the cooperatives, Vasantdada successfully attempted to achieve rural, agricultural and agro-industrial development. He propagated the growth of dairy and poultry industries in the State. He started various co-operative industries in the State like fertilizer factories, cloth mills, oil mills, paper mills, cement pipe factories, agricultural tool factories and other agro based small scale industries. In 1956-57, he founded the cooperative sugar factory. He himself had gone to the fields to teach farmers how to plant sugarcane. He insisted that the sugar factories should also produce other associated products along with sugar. He propagated the idea of allotting separate funds for education, health, other activities and basic facilities in the vicinity of their factories. It is because of this that there are developmental centres attached to sugar factories in the State. Vasantdada founded the Deccan Sugar Institute and encouraged research in that sector. The same institute has been named as the Vasantdada Patil Sugar Institute in his memory. Vasantdada is also largely responsible for the large network of small and big cooperative industries that we see in the State today.
Vasantdada Patil was honoured with the PadmaBhushan award in 1967 for his outstanding efforts in the cooperative sector. He was an elected representative since 1952, first became minister in 1972 and later got elected as the Chief Minister. His work in the cooperative sector between the years 1952-72 is considered to have been both the solid foundation and the cause of prosperity in that sector. It is noteworthy that this constructive work was at a time when he was not in a powerful position politically.
Vasantdada Patil could bring about development in Maharashtra thanks to his wide array of experiences dating from pre-independence and qualities like excellent memory, leadership skills, organizational skills, ability to unify people, decision making capability, accurate and complete understanding of rural life. Both of Vasantdada’s parents died on the same day in 1918 during the plague epidemic, leaving him an orphan at the age of one year. He was raised by his grandmother after that. In these circumstances he was unable to study for long. Despite this he was able to achieve outstanding success through his intrinsic capabilities, the fruits of which are being enjoyed by Maharashtra to-date. Hence he is also known as Maharashtra’s less educated yet most intelligent and efficient leader and politician.
Death: 1st March 1989
An intense patriot, capable party organizer and Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Birth: 13th November 1917
Vasantdada Patil was a prominent leader who was instrumental in giving the cooperative sector in Maharashtra a decisive direction towards development. His career that spans his work as a revolutionary and freedom fighter to his constructive work post independence, as a political leader who increased the strength of the party to an influential Chief Minister and leader of co-operative movement, is indeed overwhelming.
He was born in the small village of Padmale, Tasgav taluka, Sangli district. Vasantdada was elected as Chief Minister of Maharashtra four times between 1977 and 1985. In total, he has held the Chief Ministership for four years. He has also been the Governor of Rajasthan for a short span of time. He first became a Minister in 1972. Prior to that he got elected as a Member of Parliament representing the district of Sangli in the first election held in India in1952. Thereafter, he continued to represent Sangli in the House of People as well as House of Parliament for the next 25 years. During his political career he presided over various organizations such as the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, the National Mill Workers Front and the Maharashtra State Congress. He gave special importance to his political party’s work. After Vasantdada, the Congress Party is yet to find a leader from Maharashtra who was so influential in strengthening the party. Political observers also note that it was thanks to his efforts that the presence of the Congress remained strong in rural parts of Maharashtra. It is said about Vasantdada that he was a political power who was never greedy for power.
As a leader of Maharashtra, Vasantdada’s decisions ensured positive and long term results for society. In 1983, he founded several medical, engineering and polytechnic institutes which worked on a non-grant basis. This produced revolutionary effects in the field of education. It facilitated educational opportunities for rural students as well as laid the foundation for educational and hence industrial progress. Vasantdada appointed a council by the name ofSatyashodhan Samiti under the leadership of renowned economist V. M. Dandekar to take a survey of the development related work in the State. It was through this council’s report that the terms like balanced development and Vidarbha-Marathwada backlog originated. In that period, he initiated important schemes like free state-transport facility for school children, free transport of Tiffin carriers for outstation students and cheap loans for farmers. The method ofPaani Adva, Paani Jirva (a slogan stressing the importance of creating a barrier to flowing water, allowing it to percolate) was first put forth by Vasantdada. The seeds of his socially beneficial decisions are seen in his patriotism and work as a revolutionary.
Vasantdada had joined the freedom struggle in 1930 at a very tender age. Four youth of Solapur became martyrs in the civil disobedience movement. In memory of these martyrs, Vasantdada quit drinking tea. He became even more active in the struggle after 1940. During the Quit India Movement of 1942, he participated in activities such as breaking phone wires, burning down post offices, damage railways and fire pistol bombs in Sangli district to intensify the revolt against the British. He went undercover for a short span during those times. He was imprisoned for three years. In 1943 he got shot in the arm when trying to escape from the prison and his incarceration was extended for attempting to break out. The people of Sangli, including the likes of Ramanand Bharti and Barrister Nath Pai, had held huge meetings and processions to protest against his imprisonment. Vasantdada, along with Krantisingh Nana Patil and Yashwantrao Chavan, was at the forefront of the freedom struggle in the Sangli-Satara region. Post independence, he was instrumental in taking away the arms from the hands of the freedom fighters and motivating them to do constructive work for free India.
Vasantdada’s most important contribution to the development of Maharashtra is the development and spread of the co-operative movement. Through the medium of the cooperatives, Vasantdada successfully attempted to achieve rural, agricultural and agro-industrial development. He propagated the growth of dairy and poultry industries in the State. He started various co-operative industries in the State like fertilizer factories, cloth mills, oil mills, paper mills, cement pipe factories, agricultural tool factories and other agro based small scale industries. In 1956-57, he founded the cooperative sugar factory. He himself had gone to the fields to teach farmers how to plant sugarcane. He insisted that the sugar factories should also produce other associated products along with sugar. He propagated the idea of allotting separate funds for education, health, other activities and basic facilities in the vicinity of their factories. It is because of this that there are developmental centres attached to sugar factories in the State. Vasantdada founded the Deccan Sugar Institute and encouraged research in that sector. The same institute has been named as the Vasantdada Patil Sugar Institute in his memory. Vasantdada is also largely responsible for the large network of small and big cooperative industries that we see in the State today.
Vasantdada Patil was honoured with the PadmaBhushan award in 1967 for his outstanding efforts in the cooperative sector. He was an elected representative since 1952, first became minister in 1972 and later got elected as the Chief Minister. His work in the cooperative sector between the years 1952-72 is considered to have been both the solid foundation and the cause of prosperity in that sector. It is noteworthy that this constructive work was at a time when he was not in a powerful position politically.
Vasantdada Patil could bring about development in Maharashtra thanks to his wide array of experiences dating from pre-independence and qualities like excellent memory, leadership skills, organizational skills, ability to unify people, decision making capability, accurate and complete understanding of rural life. Both of Vasantdada’s parents died on the same day in 1918 during the plague epidemic, leaving him an orphan at the age of one year. He was raised by his grandmother after that. In these circumstances he was unable to study for long. Despite this he was able to achieve outstanding success through his intrinsic capabilities, the fruits of which are being enjoyed by Maharashtra to-date. Hence he is also known as Maharashtra’s less educated yet most intelligent and efficient leader and politician.
Death: 1st March 1989
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