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Dr. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (born 8 July 1949), is currently serving as Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He represents the Indian National Congress party and was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Pulivendula Assembly Constituency of Kadapa District.

Reddy was sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in May 2004. Many critics and followers acclaim his Pada Yatra played a crucial role in bringing Indian National Congress back to power in Andhra Pradesh after nine years.

Family background

Reddy, the second of five brothers, was born in Pulivendula, a small town in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. The Reddy family have traditionally been large land-owners in southern Andhra Pradesh but made its fortunes in the 1970s and 1980s mining barite, an industrial mineral used in the oil industry. YSR was married to Smt. Vijayalakshmi in 1971 and has a son, Jagan Mohan Reddy and a daughter, Sharmila. Y S Vivekananda Reddy is brother of YSR and an elected Lok Sabha member for Congress representing Cuddapah district. It is widely believed that his father ran the factionism in the cuddapah and neighbouring districts, making money by settling disputes with the use of political power and muscle power of their private army. His father became the victim of his own factionism by getting murdered by one of his factionist victims.

Achievements

Education

Reddy is a medical science graduate from the M.R Medical College of Gulbarga, Karnataka, where he served as the president of the student union. He completed house surgeon from Sri Venkateshwara Medical College, Tirupathi, during which he was elected as leader of House Surgeon's Association in S V Medical College. Upon completion of his MBBS degree, he served as Medical Officer in Church of South India's Campbell Hospital in Jammalamadugu in the Diocese of Nandyal for a brief period.

Political career

Reddy has an eventful 25-year political career to date. He started his career as samithi president and later served as a youth congress leader. In the ensuing elections in 1978, he won on the Indian National Congress ticket at the age of 28. He served as minister in Tanguturi Anjaiah cabinet for a brief period. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi entrusted him with Pradesh Congress Committee president when he was 34 years old. Dr. Reddy represented Kadapa constituency as Member of Parliament of India for four times and similar number of times as Member of legislative assembly of Andhra Pradesh from Pulivendula constituency. Groomed by a family deeply involved in public service, YSR entered active politics in 1978 and contested elections, four times to enter the State Legislative Assembly and an equal number of times to enter the Lower House of Parliament. A winner in all that he does, YSR won all the elections he contested. Even today his admirers exclaim: "He (YSR) defeats defeat."

During his 25-year-long political career, YSR has served the people in multiple capacities, both in Government as well as in Party. He was President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) twice - 1983-1985 and 1998-2000. During 1980-1983, he was a minister holding important portfolios related to Rural Development, Medical & Health and Education etc. From 1999 to 2004 he was the Leader of Opposition in the eleventh state assembly.

As a champion of the masses, his stentorian voice in the assembly, raised particularly during debates that sought to lend voice to the voiceless millions, forced the Government to retrace several anti-people steps it contemplated. YSR has been instrumental in orchestrating several mass struggles, while highlighting issues facing peasants, weavers, Dalits, youth and women. His relentless fight for clearance of pending irrigation projects, particularly in the backward Rayalaseema region, has earned for him a special place in the hearts of millions of farmers. His unremitting struggle against certain anti-people economic measures that were sought to be introduced in the name of "reforms", including the frequent increases in power tariff and indiscriminate privatization of public sector units, exalted him far above the street smart politicians.

Even as a novice in the legislature, YSR rallied all the Congress MLAs from the Rayalaseema region and led an indefinite hunger strike demanding solution to the water crisis. He also led a Paadayaatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddipadu in Kurnool district. The 14-day hunger strike of legislators under his leadership in August 2000 to register protest against the hike in power charges is still fresh in the memory of people. By systematically exposing the misdeeds of the then Government, both inside and outside the Assembly, YSR was playing his political role to the hilt.

During mid-summer in 2003, he led an unprecedented 1400 km long Paadayaatra covering all backward areas in the state to understand the ground realities of living conditions of the people there.

Now, as Chief Minister, the crowning glory of this studded political career, he can proudly claim to be the quintessence of a politician who, with vision focused on the coming generations as well, has earned the title of a statesman. Amidst a bewildering number of turncoats among politicians, who thrive in "shifting loyalties", YSR stands out as a sterling example of the old guard in pristine Indian politics.

This explains why he has never turned his back on the Congress party, which nurtured his political moorings. The lure of power and pelf could not divert him, when the party was briefly out of power, from his mission to hold the reins of power as a trusted lieutenant of the Congress and, more importantly, as a darling of the masses. Sworn in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 14.05.2004.

As Chief Minister

Reddy, after taking oath as chief minister, apportioned a lion's share of state's funds to agriculture. His decision of free power to farmers has become controversial. His policies always revolved around supporting agriculture by giving sops to small and marginalized farmers, along with building new infrastructure. The first two years of his tenure have seen a large sum of Rs.16000 Crore being spent for building irrigation projects.

Jala Yagnam

'Jalayagnam' has been implemented by Reddy as an election promise to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh to double the area under irrigation in five years. This project accords the highest priority for the development of irrigation infrastructure. It comprises a number of irrigation projects, construction of new reservoirs and lift irrigation systems, and to divert water from major rivers through canals. Also it includes the linking up of two major rivers: the Godavari and the Krishna.

Harithandhra Pradesh

Free power to farmer's irrigation equipment was introduced as another election promise, which is often criticized as impractical by many elites. However, the programme is still in implementation despite being a heavy burden to state's economy.

Indiramma programme

Indiramma programme - an acronym for Integrated Development In Rural Areas and Model Municipal Areas, seeking to achieve integrated development of the State was launched by Reddy on 30 March 2006. Under the programme, the Government would lay roads, construct houses and classrooms, and take up other development programmes. This programme is estimated to benefit rural economy by improving the existing infrastructure and it is targeted to build 7 million houses for the rural poor by the year 2009. However, there are several allegations of rampant corruption in this programme

Religious background

According to Jayamma, the mother of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, it was his grandfather who was converted by Father Rolls, a British missionary. The family was ostracised by the local community and decided to move out of the village . In 1947 the Church of South India was formed and his father began to attend the Church Services of this congregation.

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy asked the Seventh-day Adventists to build a church on his estate for his workers who converted to Christianity.

Controversies

On 3 January 2007 he surrendered 997 acres (4.0 km) of land in Kadapa district belonging to him and his family members, for distribution to the poor..

References

1. The Hindu. "YSR surrenders yet 997 acres (4.0 km) more"

External links

This article may require cleanup to meet Misplaced Pages's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can. (September 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Karan Thapar interviews YSR regarding Controversial Land
• Government of Andhra Pradesh - Official profile
• Government of Andhra Pradesh - Contact details
• YSR's official website
• http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/sep/07ysr.htm
• http://ysyuvasena.blogspot.com

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• 1949 births
• Living people
• Chief ministers of Indian states
• Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh
• Indian Christians
• Telugu people
• Indian National Congress politicians