A great orator, intellectual giant : Jaipal Reddy passes away

Hyderabad: Former Union minister and a stalwart in Indian politics Sudini Jaipal Reddy died at a city hospital in the early hours of Sunday. His mortal remains will be consigned to flames with full state honours between 1.00 pm and 1.30 pm at the PV Ghat in the city.

The five-time member of the Lok Sabha, four-time MLA and two-time Rajya Sabha member reportedly died while undergoing treatment for pneumonia in a city hospital. He was 77.

Keeping in view the services rendered by Jaipal Reddy and the key role he played in convincing UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to carve out separate Telangana, the Telangana government is holding his cremation with full state honours. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed Chief Secretary S K Joshi to make all necessary arrangements accordingly.

KCR has also visited the house of Jaipal Reddy to pay homage to the veteran Congress leader and console his family members.

Senior TRS leader and Chairman of the Telangana State Farmers Coordination Committee Gutta Sukhender Reddy said the mortal remains of Jaipal Reddy would be consigned to flames next to PV Ghat, the 'samadhi' of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy earlier said the mortal remains of Jaipal Reddy would be kept at Gandhi Bhavan from 10.30 to 11.00 am for people and the party cadre to pay their last respects.

The 77-year-old leader was hospitalised on July 20 died at 1.28 am on Sunday. Telangana ministers and leaders cutting across political lines and several prominent persons condoled the death of the Congress leader and recalled their association with him.

Senior AICC leaders like Gulam Nabi Azad would attend the funeral. Expressing her grief, Sonia Gandhi said, "I am deeply saddened at the passing away of Jaipal Reddy.

A senior, erudite and humane leader, he was a valued colleague who enriched Parliament and the government.

"Jaipal Reddy always held the interests of people close to his heart," Sonia Gandhi added. Reddy joined politics as a student leader of Osmania University and was member of national council of the Youth Congress between 1965 and 71.

This has helped him to have the acquaintance with several eminent national leaders. He was elected MLA from Kaluwakurthy in 1969 and represented the same constituency for four times consecutively.

In the wake of an upsurge of Opposition to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after she imposed Emergency in the country, Reddy joined Janata Party and later Janata Dal in the splinter groupings that took place.

He was Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Union Minister for Urban Development, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas before finally holding the subject of Science and Technology.

Reddy was Union Minister in the Federal Front government earlier and Congress-led UPA-I and UPA-II regimes. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and Rajya Sabha twice.

Known for his oratorial skills both in English and Telugu, Reddy was heard with rapt attention in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in his heydays as an MLA of Kalwakurthy constituency in Mahbubnagar district and later in Parliament.

Reddy, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and late Gouthu Latchanna had served as a strong Opposition in the state Assembly.