Bearing ‘financial responsibility’ for the Government and the Party: C.D. Deshmukh (1950–56) & T.T. Krishnamachari (1956–58)

ABSTRACT

Of the 17 years (1946–64) Jawaharlal Nehru was India's Prime Minister, his Congress Party government had a senior politician holding the Finance Ministry for only 5: Morarji Desai (1958–63). Otherwise, this crucial portfolio was held by a succession of experts; an illustration of consociational power sharing. This article is about two of those, C.D. Deshmukh and T.T. Krishnamachari, and some of their chequered governmental experiences. Through these, it seeks to cast a critical light on the changing contours of relations between and within the party and the government in the economic sphere during its decade of political dominance.

KEYWORDS:

• India
• Finance Ministry
• Congress Party
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• C.D. Deshmukh
• T.T. Krishnamachari

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their overall encouragement, detailed comments on the argument and substantial suggestions on the structure of the article. Many thanks to the editor for the kind opportunity to revise. Finally, thank you Ravish Tiwari for all the conversations on all things historical and party political.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 July 1952, No. 55, Reports of the Adviser in India to the Central Commercial Committee, DO 133/110 (Folder 3), The National Archives (TNA), London.

2 This para draws upon this document.

3 29 May 1951, Deshmukh to Nehru, Subject File No. 23, C.D. Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment), Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), New Delhi.

4 4 June 1951, Nehru to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

5 27 October 1952, Deshmukh to Nehru, Subject File No. 22, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

6 28 October 1952, Deshmukh to Nehru, Subject File No. 22, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

7 June 1952, Report No. 54, DO 133/110 (Folder 3).

8 October 1952, Report No. 58, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

9 November 1952, Report No. 59, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

10 3 February 1953, Nehru to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

11 January 1953, Report No. 61, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

12 February 1953, Report No. 62, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

13 4 September 1952, No. 141, FO 371/101131 and November 1952, Report No. 59, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

14 December 1952, Report No. 60, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

15 17 July 1954, No. 5/54, FO 371/112224, TNA.

16 31 December 1954, No. 7/54, FO 371/117300.

17 30 March 1957, Nehru’s note, Subject File No. 20, T.T. Krishnamachari (TTK) Papers, NMML.

18 1 April 1957, Krishnamachari’s note, Subject File No. 20, TTK Papers.

19 25 June 1958, No. 40, FO 371/135949.

20 4 April 1957, Iyengar to Krishnamachari, Correspondences File, TTK Papers.

21 June 1952, Report No. 54, DO 133/110 (Folder 3).

22 Ibid.

23 September 1952, Report No. 57, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

24 October 1952, Report No. 58, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

25 December 1952, Report No. 60, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

26 10 February 1954, Krishnamachari to Nehru, Subject File No. 7, TTK Papers.

27 4 February 1954, Krishnamachari’s note, Subject File No. 7, TTK Papers.

28 4 February 1954, Deshmukh’s note, Subject File No. 7, TTK Papers.

29 27 September 1954, Nehru to Krishnamachari, Subject File No. 6, TTK Papers.

30 Note on Cabinet’s decision on the proposals contained in the Ministry of Commerce and industry’s note dated 13 November 1954, Subject File No. 6, TTK Papers.

31 1 November 1954, FO 371/112219.

32 29 February 1956, FO 371/123588.

33 6 February 1956, No. 7/55, FO 371/123593.

34 2 March 1956, Krishnamachari to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 8 (B), TTK Papers.

35 27 November 1956, Nehru to Chakravarty (London), Subject File No. 10, TTK Papers.

36 Krishnamachari to Nehru, undated, Subject File No. 6, TTK Papers.

37 Note on Tatas by Krishnamachari, undated, Subject File No. 10, TTK Papers.

38 17 January 1956, Krishnamachari to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 8 (B), TTK Papers.

39 4 December 1952, Krishnamachari to Karmarkar, Subject File No. 12, TTK Papers.

40 November 1952, Report No. 59, DO 133/111 (Folder 4).

41 19–20 May 1953, Nehru to Krishnamachari, Subject File No. 12, TTK Papers.

42 16 January 1954, Cabinet Meeting, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

43 28 October 1952, Deshmukh to Nehru, Subject File No. 22, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

44 29 June 1952, Nehru to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

45 14 October 1952, Krishnamachari to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 7, TTK Papers.

46 24 August 1954, Deshmukh to Krishnamachari, Subject File No. 8 (A), TTK Papers.

47 16 January 1954, Cabinet Meeting, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

48 March 1954, Deshmukh to Nehru, undated, in reply to Nehru’s letter of 11 March, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

49 Ibid.

50 31 March 1954, handwritten anonymous note to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 25, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

51 2 April 1954, Mathai to Deshmukh, Subject File No. 23, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

52 5 April 1954, Thakurdas to Nehru, Subject File No. 25, Deshmukh Papers (I Instalment).

53 7 March 1956, Krishnamachari to Secretary, Commerce, Subject File No. 10, TTK Papers.

54 27 February 1958, No. 12, FO 371/135947.

55 16 August 1958, Iyengar to Krishnamachari, Correspondences File, TTK Papers.