C. M. Stephen
{{Short description|Indian politician (1918–1984)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image =File:Stephen-Shri-C.M-14125.webp
| birth_date = {{birth_date|1918|12|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = Mavelikkara, Travancore State, British India
(present{{endash}}day Kerala, India)
| death_date = {{death_date and age|1984|1|16|1918|12|23|df=y}}
| death_place = Mavelikkara, Kerala, India
| office =Union Minister of Communications of India
| term_start = 2 March 1980
| term_end = 2 September 1982
| predecessor =Bhishma Narain Singh
| successor = Anant Sharma
| office1 =Union Minister of Shipping and Transport
| term_start1 = 3 September 1982
| term_end1 = 2 February 1983
| predecessor1 =Veerendra Patil
| successor1 = Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy
| office2 = 3rd Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha
| predecessor2 = Yashwantrao Chavan
| successor2 = Yashwantrao Chavan
| term_start2 = 12 April 1978
| term_end2 = 9 July 1979
| office6 = Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly
| term_start6 = 1960
| term_end6 = 1964
| constituency6 = Thrikadavoor
| office3 = Member of the Lok Sabha
| term_start3 = 1971
| term_end3 = 1977
| constituency3 = Muvattupuzha
| term_start4 = 1977
| term_end4 =1979
| constituency4 = Idukki
| term_start5 =1980
| term_end5 =1984
| constituency5 = Gulbarga
| party= {{colour box|{{party color|Congress (I)}}}} Indian National Congress (I) (1951{{endash}}1984)
}}
{{Indian name|Stephen|Chembakassery Mathai}}Chembakassery Mathai Stephen (23 December 1918 – 16 January 1984) was an Indian politician who served as the Union Minister of Communications of India from 1980 to 1982 in the Republic of India.{{cite news
|work = The Hindu
|title = Those recognising Sonia's policies are welcome to Congress: Antony
|url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/17/stories/2006011708990500.htm
|date = 17 January 2006
|accessdate = 26 July 2009
}}
C. M. Stephen was born on 23 December 1918 to Eapen Mathai and Esther of Chembakassery house in Cherukole, Mavelikkara. During his school days, Stephen was active in the Balajanasakhyam (promoted by Malayala Manorama). This helped him to develop leadership qualities, oratorial and organizing skills.
Career
After completing B. L., Stephen started his career as a journalist. He also started 'Pouraprabha' an evening daily. Through this daily, he supported the Travancore Congress and attacked the rule of C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer. In 1949, he gave up his career as a journalist and started practising law. In 1951, he joined active politics and in the same year became the D.C.C. president of Kollam.{{Cite web |title=C. M. Stephen |url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m653.htm |url-status=live |access-date=3 January 2025 |website=Niyamasabha.org |publisher=Information System Section, Kerala Legislative Assembly, Thiruvananthapuram}}
He was a close associate of veteran Congress leaders P. T. Chacko, Pattom Thanu Pillai and R. Sankar and provided leadership in the Vimochana Samaram during 1958-59 period as an associate of P. T. Chacko, Pattom Thanu Pillai, R. Sankar and others.
He was also one of the founding fathers of Indian National Trade Union Congress, the trade union wing of the Indian National Congress. He won the State elections in 1960, 1965 and 1971. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament from Idukki in the 1976 parliamentary elections. He was a close aide of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party - Indira faction during 1978–79.
C. M. Stephen also served in the Union Cabinet under Indira Gandhi, most notably as the Union Minister for Communications (1980–84). Shashi Tharoor in his 'India: From Midnight to the Millennium' quotes Stephen's statement in Parliament that "the telephone was a luxury and not a necessity" as symptomatic of India's failure to invest in infrastructure and communications before the Reforms of 1991.{{Cite web |date=26 July 2023 |title=C. M. Stephen (23 December 1918 – 16 January 1984) |url=https://malankaraorthodox.tv/?p=75523 |url-status=live |access-date=3 January 2025 |website=Malankara Orthodox TV}}
Dharam Singh gave up the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat to accommodate C. M. Stephen, the then Union Home Minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet, after he lost the election in Delhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.{{Cite web |last=Shukla |first=Vivek |date=3 May 2024 |title=When AB Vajpayee was pushed to the wall in New Delhi |url=https://thepatriot.in/neighbourhood/lok-sabha-elections-2024-when-atal-bihari-vajpayee-was-pushed-to-the-wall-in-new-delhi-48577 |url-status=live |access-date=3 January 2025 |website=Patriot}}
C. M. Stephen was buried at St. Mary Orthodox Cathedral, Mavelikkara.{{Citation needed|date= April 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}C.M.Steefan biography name of " Vangmayam" Malayalam language published by Stihti publication.kollam dist.kerala.in 2018. Authors 'V.T.Kureepuzha' and 'Anvar Sait'.
External links
- [http://jameskutty.info/inspiration.php Important personalities influenced me] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528155948/http://jameskutty.info/inspiration.php |date=28 May 2011 }}
- [http://www.qrz.com/db/VU3KRZ Ham Radio demonstration given to Mr C.M Stephen in 1983 which contributed to the first Microwave tower at Idukki, Kerala in 1983 ]
{{Ministry of Communications (India)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, C. M.}}
Category:Politicians from Alappuzha district
Category:Saint Thomas Christians
Category:Leaders of the opposition (India)
Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala
Category:Lok Sabha members from Kerala
Category:Lok Sabha members from Karnataka
Category:Kerala MLAs 1960–1964
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