Kumaraswami Kamaraj, popularly known as Kamarajar, was an Indian independence activist, politician, social reformer, and statesman who served as the Chief Minister of Madras from 13 April 1954 to 2 October 1963. He also served as the president of the Indian National Congress from 1964 to 1967 and was responsible for the elevation of Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi to the position of Prime Minister of India, because of which he was widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. Later, he became the founder and president of the Indian National Congress (O).
