Less than a Minute Life Lesson-2407 Character and Competency

K. Kamaraj a True Servant Leader-Part-6

Persuasion-Kamaraj Plan

Persuasion- A good leader persuades the members to work for a right cause. While persuading the leader should appeal to both logical and emotional brain. Servant leaders use persuasion – rather than their authority – to encourage people to take action. They also aim to build consensus in groups so that everyone supports decisions.

Kamaraj Plan- Ability to persuade to shed power and work at the grass root

One unique feature of the national leaders of those times was that they never hankered after power and only volunteered to serve the larger cause. Kamaraj was no exception. The true mark of a leader is compassion, magnanimity, simplicity and the ability to inspire and encourage those around him. Kamaraj had all these qualities and more.

Kamaraj remained the Chief Minister of Madras/Tamil Nadu for three consecutive terms, winning elections in 1957 and 1962. However, by his third term, Kamaraj noticed that the Congress party was slowly losing its vigour. He wanted the Congress leaders to overcome the lust of power.

Towards this end, Kamaraj did something unique which would startle every politically aware citizen of this world. On 2 October 1963, he resigned from the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Post.

He proposed that all senior Congress leaders should resign from their posts & devote all their energy to the re-vitalization of the Congress.

According to what later came to be called “Kamaraj Plan”, all top-level leaders would resign from their posts and reach out to the cadres to revitalise them beside it was meant to take themselves away from the lure of power. 

 He implemented the Kamaraj Plan by himself by resigning from the post of Chief Minster. In 1963, he suggested to Nehru that senior Congress leaders should leave ministerial posts to take up organisational work. His request was obliged with 6 union ministers including Lal Bahadur Shastri Jagjivan Ram, Morarji Desai, Biju Patnaik and S.K. Patil resigning from cabinet posts. It was this selflessness and foresight which propelled him to become the president of Indian National Congress.

As a Leader he was convinced about his decision, which improved his conviction to persuade others to shed power and start building the system. He has proved the fifth characteristics of a Servant Leader-Persuasion

By: M.L. Narendra Kumar

https://countercurrents.org/2016/10/04/kamarajthe-selfless-leader/