Ramcharan Agarwal with Pandit Nehru
Ramcharan Agarwal, who was affectionately called ‘Lalaji‘, was born to a family of freedom fighters on 2 December 1917 at Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father Shri Ramchander Mal was a businessman.
Ramcharan Agarwal was deeply impressed by the ideology and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and became his follower, taking an active part in the freedom struggle. At the early age of 19, he became Treasurer of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee. He was first arrested in 1939 and again went to jail in 1942 and 1945 as a consequence of his activities during the freedom movement. He was one of the eleven persons selected by Mahatma Gandhi from Delhi for individual Satyagrah. Keeping in view his qualities of leadership, teamwork, and social service, he was given a ticket by the Indian National Congress from Maliwara Constituency for Delhi Municipal Committee Elections, 1951, and then again in 1954. He won both the elections.
He won MCD elections in 1958 and was elected the first Deputy Mayor of Delhi along with Smt. Aruna Asaf Ali, was the first Mayor. He was again elected Deputy Mayor of Delhi in 1961. In the year 1962, he was once again elected to the Municipal Corporation, Delhi. Lalaji was known as the “Little big man” of the Indian National Congress, who worked for the upliftment of the poor.
Lalaji was a great visionary. His sobriety and sincerity won the esteem and affection of all. He stressed the need for the cleanliness of the Yamuna river and mooted the proposal to stop sewage flowing into the river. He had the interests of the common man at heart and he was a friend of the poor and the down-trodden. His Night Shelter scheme for the homeless was one of the measures which bore testimony to this. He played an important role in the development of slum enclosures in Old Delhi, giving protection to sellers in pavement bazaars. He is still remembered for his contribution toward the upliftment of the living standards of the poor and weaker sections of society. In 1966, he was elected to the newly formed Metropolitan Council. He was awarded ‘Tamrapatra’ by the then President of India, Dr. Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, for his contribution to the freedom movement. Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru was very fond of Lalaji. He especially wrote a letter to him wishing him success in his political career. Smt. Indira Gandhi described Lalaji as a gentleman politician, who always stood for principles. In her words, “Lalaji was a man having a great place in Delhi, holding a strong position in Congress and a very popular name in the freedom movement. He has established a foundation by his character, work and personality”.
He visited many foreign countries as a member of the Indian delegation, including UK, USA, USSR, and Canada. In recognition of his services to the country, the ITO Crossing, in Delhi, has been renamed ‘Ram Charan Agarwal Chowk’.
He died on 25 July 1977. He was a true Gandhian and wore khadi throughout his life. He will always be remembered as a great freedom fighter in Indian history.
Source: Information Brochure of Commemorative Postage Stamp issued by Department of Posts.