Chaudhary Brahm Prakash

Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav (1918–1993) played an important role in the Individual Satyagraha Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1940 and was among the leaders of the ‘underground’ activities in Delhi during the ‘Quit India’ movement. He was imprisoned many times during the freedom struggle. He hailed from Najafgarh Village, a Yadav dominated village in South-West Delhi.

In the post-independence, Prakash, a member of India's Yadav community, served as Minister in charge of Planning and Development as well as the first Chief Minister of Delhi from 1952-55. His stints in the Parliament twice won him accolades as an able parliamentarian. He also made noteworthy contributions as the Union Cabinet Minister for Food, Agriculture, Irrigation and Cooperatives.

The cause of depressed sections of the society, rural development and empowerment of the weaker sections were issues which were very close to the heart of Ch. Brahm Prakash. He was quick to realise the potential of cooperative societies in mitigating the hardships of the village folks. As early as in 1945, he started organising village and agriculture cooperatives. He was also a proponent of the Panchayati Raj institutions. He organised the National Union of Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities in 1977 to work for the welfare of these weaker sections.

One of the lesser known facts about Ch. Brahm Prakash is the effort he made along with Dr Kurien of NDDB to promote the idea of Cooperative Companies, to help free the cooperatives from the shackles of Government control through the Registrar of Cooperative Societies. It was a precursor to the present Producer Company model.