Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | An Indian politician | The sixth president of India

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was an Indian Politician and President of India, who served as the president of India from 1977 to 1982. he was born on 19 May 1913 and taken his last breath on 1 June 1996. The beginning of his long political career in the struggle of independence movement under the leadership of Indian National Congress Party. Before he was appointed as President of India, he already hold several key offices in independent India. For example he worked as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and later he also served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He served as the Union Minister and chaired the Lok Sabha as Speaker for two-time. To read more please keep in touch with the blog.

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Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy served as the sixth president of India, serving from 1977 to 1982. He was an Indian politician. Some of his achievements are as under –
– He Began his political career with the Indian National Congress Party in the independence movement.
– In 1946 he was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly as a Congress party representative.
– In 1953 he became the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra State.
– In 1956 he was the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
– He was a union cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi from 1964 to 1967.
– From 1967 to 1969 he was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
– Later he took retirement from active politics but he returned in 1975 in response to Jayaprakash Narayan’s call for “Total Revolution” against the Indira Gandhi Government.
– In 1977 he again Elected to Parliament as a candidate of the Janata Party.
– He was unanimously elected Speaker of the Sixth Lok Sabha and later was elected unopposed as President of India.
– He died in 1996 and his samadhi is at Kalpally Burial Ground, Bangalore.
– In 2013, the Government of Andhra Pradesh commemorated Late Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy the ex-president of India’s birth centenary.

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Family Background of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was born on 19 May 1913 in a Telugu Hindu family in Illur village, Madras Presidency, presently situated ay Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
– He was married with the sister of a communist politician from Andhra Pradesh Shri T. Nagi Reddy.
– The name of his wife was Neelam Nagaratnamma.
– The couple had one son named Sudheer Reddy who is a Doctor and three daughters named as Nirmala, Neeraja and Amaravathi.
– His wife Neelam Nagaratnamma died in the yeas 2010 at their residence at Tarimela Vihar in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh.

Education of Shri Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy’s basic education started from Theosophical High School at Adayar in Madras.
– later he enrolled himself for an under graduation course at the Government Arts College at Anantapur. Which is an affiliate of the University of Madras.

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and the Indian independence movement

– In the year 1929 he entered in the Indian struggle for independence after the visit of Shri Mahatma Gandhi in Anantpur.
– In the year 1931 he left his of college education and closely associated with the Youth League and participated in a student satyagraha also.
– In the year 1938 he was elected as the Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Provincial Congress Committee and held the office for ten years.
– From the year 1940 to 1945 he was mostly in jail due to actively participation in Quit India Movement.
– He also became a Member of the Indian Constituent Assembly from Madras.

Political career of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy after Independence

– In the year 1946 he was elected as the member of Madras Legislative Assembly as the as representative of Indian National Congress
– Then after he became the secretary of Congress legislature party.
– From April 1949 to April 1951 he became the Minister for Prohibition, Housing and Forests in the government of Madras Legislative Assembly.
– The election for Madras Legislative Assembly in the year 1951 he lost his seat against his brother-in-law and a communist leader Shri Tarimela Nagi Reddy.

As the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra State

– In the year 1951 in a closely contested election, he was elected as the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.
– In the year 1953 when the Andhra State was formed he became the deputy Chief Minister of Andhra State.

As the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy hold the office of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from the year 1956 to 1960 and 1962 to 1964, thus he hold the office of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for more then five years.
– He became the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh after the formation of the state of Andhra Pradesh by incorporating Telangana.
– His first term as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh ended in 1960 when he resigned on being elected President of the Indian National Congress.
– His second term as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh started from 1962 and ended in the year 1964 when he voluntarily resigned from his office due to an unfavorable observations made against his Government’s project of “Bus Routes Nationalisation” by the Supreme Court.

Worked as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

– Two major river valley projects named as “The Nagarjuna Sagar Project” and “The Srisailam multipurpose river valley project” were initiated during his tenure.
– In the honour of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy the Government of Andhra Pradesh later renamed the Srisailam River Valley project to Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Sagar.
– During his tenour he always emphasis on rural development, agriculture and allied sectors.
– During his tenour the progress towards industrialisation remained limited.
– His view was that investment in large public sector enterprises in the state should be largely driven by the central government.

Worked as the President of the Indian National Congress

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy served as President of the Indian National Congress for three times of the sessions held at Bangalore, Bhavnagar and Patna during 1960 to 1962.
– In a session held at Goa in the year 1962 he stated in his speech about the India’s determination to end the Chinese occupation of Indian territory and the irrevocable nature of the liberation of Goa.

Became the Member of Rajya Sabha

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was nominated as the member of the Rajya Sabha for three terms.

Became the Union Minister

– In the year 1964 Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was became the Union Minister of Steel and Mines in the cabinet of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri government.
– From January 1966 to March 1967 he served as Union Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, Shipping and Tourism in the cabinet of Sushri Indira Gandhi.

Became the Speaker of the Lok Sabha

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy took charge for the position of the Speaker of Lok Sabha for two times from 1967 to 1969 and from March 1977 to July 1977.
– Firstly he was elected as the Speaker of the Fourth Lok Sabha from 17 March 1967 to 19 July 1969 when he was elected on the ticket of Indian National Congress.
– Secondly he was elected as the Speaker of the Sixth Lok Sabha from 26 March 1977 to 13 July 1977 this time he was elected on the ticket of Janata Party.
– In the year 1967 he became the third person to be elected as Speaker of the house during their inaugural term.

Worked as the President of India

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was elected as the Sixth President of India on 21 July 1977.
– He worked with three Prime Ministers Shri Morarji Desai, Shri Charan Singh and Sushri Indira Gandhi.

Why Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy resigned from the Congress Party?

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy had resigned from the Congress Party to emphasize the independence of the Speaker’s office.

What were the first happened in his term as Speaker?

Several firsts things happened in his term as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha –
– The admission of a No-Confidence Motion on the same day of the inaugural address of the President to the joint session of Parliament.
– Handing down of a sentence of imprisonment for Contempt of the house.
– Setting up the Committee on the Welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
– During his term as Speaker a defamation suit filed against him by an MP.
– His term as the Speaker of Lok Sabha is described as being the ‘watchman of the Parliament.
– He had several hostile encounters with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the House.

5th Presidential election of 1969 and Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– After the sudden death of the president Shri Zakir Hussain in 1969 the Congress party nominated Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as their candidate for president.
– The Prime Minister Sushri Indira Gandhi opposed his candidature of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy for the office of the President of India.
– The Syndicate of the congress committee forced her to accept Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as the Congress party’s official candidate for presidential election.
– The Prime Minister Sushri Indira Gandhi asked the Congress legislators to “vote according to their conscience” rather than blindly toe the Party line. In effect giving a call to support the independent candidate Shri V V Giri.
– Resulted Shri V V Giri emerged victorious in a closely fought election held on 16 August 1969.

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy opted retirement from active politics

Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy had resigned from the office of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to contest the election of the President of India. And after getting defeat in the presidential election of 1969. He had taken retirement from active politics and moved back to his home town Anantapur where he took to farming.

Return back of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy in active politics again

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy decided to come beck in active politics in the year 1975 after the call of Jayaprakash Narayan’s call for total revolution.
– In the year 1977 he became a member of the committee of Janta Party.
– He fought the General Election from the Nandyal constituency of Andhra Pradesh as a candidate of Janata Party and became the only non-Congress candidate to be elected from Andhra Pradesh.
– In this General Election the Congress Party led by Prime Minister Sushri Indira Gandhi was defeated in election and a coalition of five party known as the Janta Party came into power and Shri Moraji Desai became the Prime Minister.
– In the year 1977 Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy unanimously elected Speaker of the Sixth Lok Sabha but he resigned in few months because to contest in the presidential elections.
– The second term of Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as Speaker had became the history of the shortest tenure for anyone to have held that post because he hold the office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha for three months and 17 days only.

Presidential election for the year 1977 and Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– The presidential election for the year 1977 was to be done because of the sudden death of President Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed in office.
– The Prime Minister Shri Morarji Desai wanted to nominate Sushri Rukmini Devi Arundale for the post of President of India but she turned down the offer.
– At last Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was elected unopposed elected President of India unanimously supported by all political parties.

The history made by Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy had made the history to electe President of India unanimously.
– He created a history to be became the President of India as the youngest person at the age of 64 so far yet. Except the present President of India Sushri Droupadi Murmu.
– A history he was created to fought the Presidential election twice against Shri V. V. Giri in the year 1969 and 1977.
– The history in his name to became the first person to be elected President of India without any contest.
– He made a history to became the only President to have been elected unopposed.
– He made a history to worked with three different Prime Ministers.

His announcements on the eve of thirtieth anniversary of Independence as the President of India

01) Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy had announced on the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of Independence that he would be moving out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan to a smaller accommodation.
02) He would be taking a 70 percent pay cut in solidarity with India’s impoverished masses.

Commemoration in the honour of President Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

– In the year 2013 the Government of Andhra Pradesh celebrated the birth centenary of the former President of India Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.
– The ceremony was addressed by the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
– The Postal Department of India released a commemorative postal stamp in honour of former President of India Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy on the occasion of his birth centenary.
– In Hyderabad, there is the Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy College of Education.
– In the year 1960 a statue of him had been unveiled at Vijayawada by president of the Congress Party Shri K. Kamaraj.
– But Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy to ask for its removal of that statue because he deemed the practice of erecting statues of people holding public office undesirable.
– In the year 2005 a statue of former President of India Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy unveiled at the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat (now Telangana Secretariat) in Hyderabad.
– In the year 1958 Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati bestowed the degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws on him because of his role in its founding.

Book written by the former President of India Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

In the year 1989 Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy authored a book named “Without Fear or Favour – Reminiscences and Reflections of a President“.

source of the information www.wikipidia.com

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No	Name of the President of India	Click here to read
01	Dr. Shri Rajendra Prasad	Click here
02	Dr. Shri Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	Click here
03	Dr. Shri Zakir Husain	Click here
04	Shri V. V. Giri	Click here
05	Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	Click here
07	Shri Gyani Zail Singh	Click here
08	Shri Ramaswamy Venkataraman	Click here
09	Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma	Click here
10	Shri K. R. Narayanan	Click here
11	Shri A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	Click here
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13	Shri Pranab Mukherjee	Click here
14	Shri Ram Nath Kovind	Click here
15	Sushri Droupadi Murmu	Click here

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