Hitendra Kanaiyalal Desai (English: Hitendra Kanaiyalal Desai, born- 9 August, 1915; died- 12 September, 1993) was a politician of the Indian National Congress and the third Chief Minister of Gujarat. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat three times – from 20 September, 1965 to 3 April, 1967; from 3 April, 1967 to 6 April, 1971 and again from 7 April, 1971 to 12 May, 1971.
Born on 9 August 1915 in Surat, Hitendra Desai was brought up in the shadow of the freedom movement. His father was a Congress leader. On 12 March 1930, Gandhiji left Sabarmati for Dandi. He was accompanied by 77 other satyagrahis. This group of agitators had to reach Dandi village in Surat district on 6 April by walking 10 miles every day. Gandhi reached Surat on the first of April. He was given a grand welcome here. Kanjibhai Desai, the president of ‘Surat District Congress Committee’ also had a 15-year-old son. He stopped going to school as soon as the Civil Disobedience Movement was announced. This was his first jail visit as a satyagrahi. This boy’s name was Hitendra Kanhaiyalal Desai. He was to take charge of the state as Chief Minister 35 years after the Dandi March.
After the Civil Disobedience of 1930, Hitendra Desai resumed his studies. In 1933, he passed matriculation from Surat. He was sent to Bombay University for further studies. From here, he did his B.A. in Economics. After this, as per the custom of that time, he enrolled in law studies. In 1937, Hitendra graduated from Bombay University as a lawyer. He became a lawyer in Bombay High Court. His practice of law took off. Meanwhile, he remained active in Congress as well.
In 1941, when Gandhiji announced individual Satyagraha during the Second World War, Hitendrabhai Desai also jumped into that movement. Due to this, he had to go to jail again. He was released after spending about three months in jail. On 9 August 1942, the Quit India Movement was announced from Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank Maidan. According to Gandhiji, it was a do-or-die battle for freedom. Hitendra Desai was in Bombay. After Gandhiji was arrested on 9 August, large-scale violence broke out in Bombay city. In response, the British government started arresting Congress leaders. In such a situation, Hitendra Desai found himself in jail again. Hitendra Desai was released after spending about two years in jail.
After independence in 1947, Hitendra Desai was made the Vice President of Surat Municipal Corporation. He remained on this post for about 10 years. In 1957, during the period of Maha Gujarat movement, elections were held for Bombay Presidency. Hitendra Desai contested this election from Surat’s Mangrol Assembly. He was pitted against independent candidate Dattatreya Pangarkar. Hitendra Desai won this election by 32,672 votes against 14,404. In 1960, after the formation of a separate state of Gujarat from Bombay Presidency, Jivraaj Mehta became its first Chief Minister. Hitendra Desai also got a place in Jivraaj Mehta’s cabinet. He was given the ministries of education, law, agriculture, forests, prohibition, social welfare, rehabilitation, revenue.
In the 1962 assembly elections, he contested from Olpad seat. He was pitted against Babubhai Patel of Swatantra Party. Hitendra Desai got 22,201 votes. Whereas Babubhai Patel could only reach 12,266 votes. He again joined the cabinet of Jivraaj Mehta. He was given the responsibility of Revenue Department. The change of power in 1963 further increased Hitendra Desai’s stature. He was given the post of Home Minister in the cabinet of Balwantrai Mehta who came to power with the blessings of Morarji Desai.
When Hitendrabhai Desai became the Chief Minister in 1965, he did not make any changes in the cabinet he inherited from Balwantrai Mehta. At that time, there were two ministers in his cabinet who were to become Chief Ministers in future. These leaders were Babubhai Patel who was the PWD Minister at that time and Chimanbhai Patel who had the Transport Ministry at that time. After getting majority in the 1967 assembly elections, Hitendra Desai’s real test began in 1969. Often political experts say that after 2002 one thing changed on the political map of Gujarat. In September 1969, terrible communal riots took place in Ahmedabad, but its background had started being written in December 1968.
The state government was just recovering from the communal violence of 1969 when in 1970, the city of Bharuch was hit by a terrible earthquake. On 23 March 1970, at 1:52 am, an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude struck Bharuch. People were sleeping in their homes. About 2500 houses were razed to the ground. 23 people died under the rubble. More than one lakh people became homeless. This natural disaster emerged as a new challenge for Hitendra Desai. Despite so many problems, Hitendra Desai’s tenure can be remembered for one thing. He laid the foundation of industrialization of modern Gujarat. He started Rajkot University, Agricultural University and Ayurveda University in the state. He built a martyr’s memorial in memory of those killed during the Maha Gujarat movement. He laid the foundation of the settlement of Gandhinagar. He can also be credited with starting the irrigation system in the state.
