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C Subramaniam was
a seasoned statesman

C Subramaniam, the Father of India's Green Revolution, passed away in Madras on Tuesday afternoon. He was 90.

A former governor of Maharashtra who quit office without a second thought when Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao made an adverse comment in 1994, Subramaniam was better remembered for his days as Union agriculture minister and, later, Union finance minister.

The Father of the Green Revolution, in which he was assisted by fellow Tamilian Dr M S Swaminathan, the agro-economist, Subramaniam had started his political career in the Congress movement, which he served as Tamil Nadu unit president for a term. Seen as a colleague of the late K Kamaraj in Congress party affairs, Subramaniam made his mark as education minister in the Kamaraj ministry, when the then Madras government introduced free education up to the high school level and mid-day meals for school children.

At the height of the drought and scarcity in the Sixties, when the American PL-420 food aid made news, Subramaniam as agriculture minister spearheaded the movement to make the country self-sufficient in foodgrains. In this he was guided by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug and assisted by Swaminathan and others.

But it was during Subramaniam's tenure as Union finance minister that India came to be dubbed the most-taxed country, what with the super-tax structure hitting an all-time high of 90 per cent of an individual's income. This contributed in large measure to the parallel economy, which the country is yet to get rid of.

Subramaniam mostly stayed away from active politics after his memorable deposition before the Justice Shah Commission of Inquiry that went into the excesses during the Emergency of the Indira Gandhi government. He had come in for criticism from the Congress leadership, as he was himself a member of the government when Emergency was imposed and had been photographed holding an umbrella over the head of the late Sanjay Gandhi when the latter visited Madras and Subramaniam was a minister at the Centre.

Later, Subramaniam allowed himself to be persuaded by the V P Singh government to become governor of Maharashtra when the state was in crying need of an administration that would take greater interest in matters economic. As a seasoned statesman with vast experience in economic matters, he was expected to guide the state in the right direction.

With the United Front dispensation ruling the roost at the Centre and the government keen on recognising and honouring talent where visible, Subramaniam was chosen for the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. Along with him were honoured Carnatic music queen M S Subbulakshmi and space scientist Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, both fellow Tamilians.

With age and his asthma catching up with him, CS spent most of the evening of his life in his Kotturpuram residence in Madras, rarely stirring out. When he did, it was to revive his association with noble causes, one of them being his membership of the Tamil Nadu Congress Public Charitable Trust, which has now been made poorer by his absence.

EARLIER SPECIALS
* People who occupy positions of power should be like sanyasis
* We should review the Constitution. Otherwise,
we will continue to be in this mess
* 'The President can't just be a dummy'
* 'We should not delay the review any further'

EARLIER INTERVIEWS
* 'If they are not satisfied with autonomy, they may ask for separation'
* 'A neutral mediator for Kashmir is the best thing so that a solution can be found'
* 'India needs a generation revolution'

EARLIER REPORTS
* C Subramaniam awarded Bharat Ratna
* CAT stalls Subramaniam's extension
* HC cancels CAT order

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