Neelam Sanjiva Reddy (May 19 1913 - June 1 1996) was an
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n statesman. He was the sixth
President of IndiaThe President of India or Rashtrapati is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. In theory, the President possesses considerable power...
, serving from 1977 to 1982 and was the only person to be elected
President of IndiaThe President of India or Rashtrapati is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. In theory, the President possesses considerable power...
unopposed.
He was born in
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
.
He had his primary education at the High School run by
Theosophical Society Adyar]The Theosophy Society - Adyar is the original Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883...
, Madras. The spiritual atmosphere of the school left a deep impact on his mind.
He joined the Government Arts College at Anantapur for his higher studies.
Mahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
's visit to Anantapur in July 1929 was the turning point in Reddy's life. He came under the profound influence of Gandhiji's thoughts, words and actions. He discarded his foreign clothes and took to
KhadiThe term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
as his dress. He gave up his studies and joined the
Indian Independence MovementThe term Indian independence movement incorporates various national and regional campaigns, agitations and efforts of both nonviolent and militant philosophy. The term encompasses a wide spectrum of political organizations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending the British...
. In 1931 he left his studies to join Congress Party.
He was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1946 and became the Secretary of the Madras Congress Legislature Party. In 1947, he became a Member of the Indian Constituent Assembly. He was Minister for Prohibition, Housing and Forests in the composite state of Madras from 1949 to 1951. He was Elected as President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in 1951. In 1952, he was elected as a Member of the
Rajya SabhaThe Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature, science, and social services. These members are known as nominated members...
.
He served as the first
chief ministerA Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British overseas territory that has attained self-government...
of
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
in October 1956 and again from 1962 to 1964. He also served as President of the
Indian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is a major political party in India. Founded in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Surendranath Banerjee, Monomohun Ghose, and William Wedderburn, the Indian National Congress became the leader of the Indian...
from 1959 to 1962.
The degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws was conferred on him by the
Sri Venkateswara UniversitySri Venkateswara University, Tirupati was established in 1954, in the famous temple city of Tirupati, South India, under the auspices of Late Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and with support of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams...
,
TirupathiTirupathi may refer to:* Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Temple of Lord Venkateshwara* Tirumala - Tirupati, The Temple Town* Tirupati - a pilgrimage city located in the vicinity of the Tirupati Temple...
in 1958.
On June 9, 1964, He was appointed a Member of the Union Cabinet and took over the portfolio of Steel and Mines. He was elected to the
Rajya SabhaThe Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature, science, and social services. These members are known as nominated members...
in November, 1964.
He was Union Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, Shipping and Tourism from January 1966 to March 1967 in the Cabinet. He was Elected to the
Lok SabhaThe Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2009 there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from
Hindupur-Members of Parliament:-Members of Parliament:-Members of Parliament:
| Lok Sabha | Duration | Name of M.P. | Party Affiliation |
|---|
...
constituency in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
. He was elected Speaker of Lok SabhaThe is the presiding officer of the lower house of Parliament of India. His role is similar to that of Speakers elsewhere in other countries that use the Westminster system of government....
on March 17, 1967, where he won unprecedented acclaim and admiration.
He entered active politics again in 1975 along with Shri Jayaprakash NarayanJayaprakash Narayan , widely known as JP, was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful Total Revolution...
. In March 1977, he fought the Lok SabhaThe Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2009 there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
election from Nandyal-Members of Parliament:-Members of Parliament:-Members of Parliament:
| Lok Sabha | Duration | Name of M.P. | Party Affiliation |
|---|
...
constituency in Andhra Pradesh as a Janata PartyThe Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...
candidate. He was the only non-Congress candidate to get elected from Andhra Pradesh. He was unanimously elected Speaker of the Lok SabhaThe Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. As of 2009 there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
on March 26, 1977.
He was elected President by the electoral college in July 1977.
He died in BangaloreBangalore , also known as Bengaḷūru , is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration.Though historical references to the city predate 900...
, India.
External links
- Bio details on Congress Sandesh website accessed at http://www.congresssandesh.com/AICC/pastpresidents.htm July 26, 2006
- Biographical details of Past Presidents of India at http://pastpresidentsofindia.indiapress.org/]
- Biographical details of Speakers of Lok Sabha at http://speakerloksabha.nic.in/former/Nsanjivareddy.asp
Titles Held