SSC
The first (and only) Indian Governor-General of independent India was:
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Answer: Option C — C. Rajagopalachari
Detailed Solution
Rajagopalachari. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari ("Rajaji") was the first and only Indian Governor-General of independent India, from June 1948 to January 1950.
About the office:
- After Independence, India was a dominion within the British Commonwealth until the Constitution came into force.
- The Governor-General was the representative of the British Crown and the formal head of state.
- When India became a Republic on 26 January 1950, the office was abolished and replaced by the President.
- So Rajaji was also the last Governor-General of India.
About C. Rajagopalachari:
- He was born in 1878 at Thorapalli, in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu.
- He was a lawyer at Salem, who joined the national movement under Gandhi.
- He was Premier (Chief Minister) of Madras Presidency (1937-1939), when the Congress formed ministries.
In 1944, he put forward the "C. R. Formula", a proposal for talks between the Congress and the Muslim League.
He served as Governor of West Bengal (1947-1948).
He was Union Home Minister (1950-1951) after Sardar Patel's death.
He was Chief Minister of Madras State (1952-1954).
He founded the Swatantra Party in 1959, which supported free enterprise.
He was one of the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna (1954), along with Dr S. Radhakrishnan and Dr C. V. Raman.
He wrote popular retellings of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
His daughter Lakshmi married Gandhi's son Devdas.
Gandhi called him "the keeper of my conscience".
He died in 1972.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India.
- ✗Sardar Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Dr S. Radhakrishnan was the first Vice-President.
Quick tip
Remember: first and only Indian Governor-General = C. Rajagopalachari (June 1948-January 1950); C. R. Formula (1944); Swatantra Party (1959); Bharat Ratna 1954.
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Governors-General & Viceroys — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Governors-General & Viceroys, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Governors of Bengal, the Governors-General and the Viceroys of India from Warren Hastings to Lord Mountbatten, and the major reforms, policies, acts and events of each tenure. Questions almost always link a Governor-General or Viceroy to an event or reform: the Permanent Settlement under Cornwallis, the abolition of sati under William Bentinck, the doctrine of lapse under Dalhousie, the partition of Bengal under Curzon, and the Vernacular Press Act under Lytton. Revise the list in chronological order, with one or two key events for each. Practise the Governors-General and Viceroys questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.