The freedom struggle brought to the fore a number of public-spirited persons, known for simplicity, integrity and incorruptibility. P. Kakkan (1909-1981), a Congress leader of the Gandhian era and Tamil Nadu’s only Home Minister who belonged to the Scheduled Castes, was such a leader who demonstrated that honourable individuals, too, could make a mark in politics.
Born at Thumbapatti in Melur taluk of Madurai district on June 18, 1909, Kakkan had modest education. Soon, he came under the spell of A. Vaidyanatha Aiyar, a Congress veteran who strove for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes. When Aiyar, as the president of the Tamil Nadu Harijan Sevak Sangham, created history by leading a group of five Scheduled Caste members to the famed Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai in July 1939, Kakkan was one of them. The event marked the first entry of members of the community to a temple in the then Presidency of Madras. When Aiyar died in February 1955, Kakkan tonsured his head as a mark of tribute and took part in the funeral.
During the 1942 Quit India movement, Kakkan underwent imprisonment for one-and-a-half years. Four years later, he made his maiden attempt in electoral politics and was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly. He later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly, too. In the 1952 Lok Sabha election, he became an MP from Madurai. His hour of glory came when he became the first Scheduled Caste leader to get elected as president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) in December 1954. He held that post for the next three years before joining the Kamaraj Cabinet as Public Works Minister. Kakkan became the TNCC chief again in October 1969 amid an intense power struggle across the country, which eventually led to a split in the party. What is to be noted is that till now, no leader of the community could hold the post of TNCC president longer than Kakkan.
