Handpicked by Nehru, Jacob won even rivals' hearts

M M Jacob had to discontinue his studies while at the University College in Thiruvananthapuram as he took part in the freedom struggle as any other Congress activist. But that laid the foundation for a bigger political education. After Independence, in 1952 he became a Congress block president and got active in social and political life. A follower of Acharya Vinobha Bhave, he worked for Bhave's land donation (Bhoodan) movement.

He became a member of the Bharat Seva Samaj (BSS), which had Jawaharlal Nehru as its president, in 1954. Being a good speaker and organiser, Nehru entrusted him with training BSS workers. Later, he became the national vice-president of the BSS. His close ties with Nehru propelled him to the top brass of the Indian National Congress. From Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi and even to Sonia Gandhi, all turned to Jacob for advice. He held the party positions of KPCC general secretary, treasurer, AICC member and Congress national general secretary.

Though he fought the 1970 assembly elections against K M Mani from Pala, he lost by mere 374 votes. He took on Mani again on 1980 but lost again, this time by 4,566 votes as the Kerala Congress leader established his dominion in the constituency.

Jacob was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1982 and 1988. After making a name for himself as one of the best parliamentarians, he was made the vice-chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The fact that then opposition leader L K Advani told Congress members that they wouldn't have put up a candidate if they knew it was Jacob who will be the candidate for the vice-chairman’s speaks volumes about Jacob's acceptance among all. He spoke at the UN General Assembly in 1985 and 1993 and represented India at the World Conference on Human Rights s at France's Strasbourg in 1993 and Vienna in 1994.

Jacob was a Union minister from 1986 to 1993. In 1987, when the Rajiv ministry was reshuffled, Jacob became the minister of state for parliamentary affairs. In 1989, he got the independent charge of the water resources ministry too. He got the same post in the Narasimha Rao ministry in 1991 but lost his job in 1993 reshuffle.

Jacob was the governor of Meghalaya from 1995 to 2007. Moving away from the usual conduct of governors, he was in the forefront of initiatives aimed at solving issues of the public. He opened the doors of Raj Bhavan to the public. Students and teachers of the North East Hill University, where the governor was the chancellor, visited him frequently. People showered him with love and respect never shown to any other governors. Jacob also had the habit of writing regularly to the chief minister about people's problems and their solutions.

Even the NDA government had no doubts about the competence of M M Jacob. In 2000, the Vajpayee government extended his term as Meghalaya governor. He completed two full terms as governor and continued for two more years before he retired. He is the longest-serving governor of the Northeast state.

Jacob has been regarded as an incomparable political leader, organiser, speaker and a social worker who stood with people. He fought for people's cause with the same vigour he fought the British.