Vella Eacharan Iyyani (9 July 1918 – 11 February 1980) was an Indian politician from

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and a member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. He was elected to

1st Lok Sabha The First Lok Sabha was constituted on 17 April 1952 after India's first general election. The 1st Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years and was dissolved on 4 April 1957. The First Session of this Lok Sabha commenced on 13 May 1952. ...

in 1952 from Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency and to

2nd Lok Sabha The Second Lok Sabha (5 April 1957 – 31 March 1962) was elected after the 1957 Indian general election. The 2nd Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years till 1962. 15 sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 2nd Lok Sabha after ...

in 1957 from

Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency, once knows as Palghat constituency, is one of the 20 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in the Indian state of Kerala. Assembly segments Palakkad Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembl ...

. Eacharan was the Minister for Devaswom, Harijan welfare, Community Development, Colonization & Settlement (1971-1977). He was elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly from

Thrithala Thrithala is a town and a village in Pattambi taluk in Palakkad District of Kerala state, South India. The town is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha and is famed for its Shiva temple. History The legend of ' Parayi petta panthirukulam' ...

in 1970 and

Wandoor Wandoor is a town in Malappuram district of Kerala, India at . It is located 13 km away from Nilambur. Notable people * The renowned ''Mappila Paattu'' poet Pulikkottil Hyder was born here. * T. K. Hamza, former minister of Kerala and ...

in 1977.

Personal life

Vella Eacharan was born at

Alathur Alathur is a town, taluk and gram panchayat in Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Alathur Taluk and is situated about 24 km from the district headquarters Palakkad through National Highway 544.Ga ...

on July 9, 1918, as the son of Vella and Velai. In 1943, he married Lekshmi and they have three daughters.

Political life

After school education and

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

training from Co-operative Institute,

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, he was in Government service (Clerk in Civil Supplies) during 1943–1951. However, he left Government service and entered politics as an active worker of the

INC Inc. or inc may refer to: * Incorporation (business), as a suffix indicating a corporation * ''Inc.'' (magazine), an American business magazine * Inc. No World, a Los Angeles-based band * Indian National Congress, a political party in India * I ...

. Actively involved in

harijan Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a ...

upliftment and

Bhoodan The Bhoodan movement (Land Gift movement), also known as the Bloodless Revolution, was a voluntary land reform movement in India. It was initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village, Pochampally The Bhoodan movement attempted ...

work, Eacharan later served as a member of the First

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...

and Second

. At the age of 33, Eacharan was elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1952. Eacharan was subsequently elected to

Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 28 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 c ...

from Trithala constituency in 1970 and from

constituency in 1977. Eacharan was the Minister for Devaswoms, Harijan Welfare, Community Development, Colonization and Settlement from 25.9.1971 to 25.3.1977, in the Ministry headed by Shri.

C. Achutha Menon Chelat Achutha Menon (13 January 1913 – 16 August 1991) was the Chief Minister of Kerala state for two terms. The first term was from 1 November 1969 to 1 August 1970 and the second 4 October 1970 to 25 March 1977. He was instrumental in ...

. The landmark initiative of Special Recruitment for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Kerala Government service was started by Vella Eacharan in 1972. During his tenure as Devaswom minister (1971–77), Eacharan introduced bills like The Guruvayoor Devaswom Bill,1971 and The Koodalmanickam Devaswom Bill, 1971 and The Travancore–Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions (Amendment) Bill,1974. Another major bill introduced by Vella Eacharan was the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Bill, 1975. He was the Founder of Nayanar Memorial Harijan Hostel, Alathur. He had also held several high positions in different walks of life including serving as * Member of the Select Committee, The Representation of the people (amendment) bill, 1958 * Member of the Joint Committee, The Dowry Prohibition Bill, 1959 * Member, Estimates Committee, Lok Sabha (1961–62) * President of Depressed Class League, Malabar * All India (CWC) Congress Working Committee member * All India Congress Committee (AICC) member * Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) member *Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice-president *AICC Advisory Committee Member - Cell to Look After the Problems of Scheduled Castes * President of Palghat Harijan Sabha * Organiser of Harijan Yuva Jana Vidyalayam * Member of Indian Central Arecanut Committee as also its representative on the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and its Advisory Board * Member of Area Committee, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, North Malabar * Member of Malabar Harijan Sewak Sangh.

Death

Vella Eacharan died on 11 February 1980 and the Kerala State Legislative Assembly paid its homage to him on 18 February 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eacharan, Vella Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala Kerala MLAs 1970–1977 1918 births 1980 deaths