Thursday, September 3, 2009

Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy

Full name: Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy

Age: 60, born July 8, 1949, at Pulivendula

Family background: YSR's grandfather moved to Pulivendula in 1933 and bought land there. His father Y S Raja Reddy became a locally influential figure. He was murdered by rivals in 1998. Mother Jayamma served as a panchayat president for a term. Four brothers and one sister.

Education: High school at St John's Bellary, Plus Two at Loyola College, Vijayawada, MBBS at MR Medical College, Gulbarga. Internship at Tirupati SV Hospital.

Work: First job as medical officer at the Church of South India Campbell Hospital, Jammalamadugu under the guidance of an aunt.

Reading: Avid reader. Favourite book is Godfather. Loves to read biographies.

  Student politics: President of the students' union in medical college. Later 

  became    president of the House Surgeons Union at S V Medical College, Tirupati.

 Why he came to politics: Dad Raja Reddy was a major political figure in Kadapa district. YSR nurtured political ambitions since college days. After a brief stint at a mission hospital in Jammalamadugu and setting up a 70-bed hospital in Pulivendula, he turned to full time politics.

Political inspiration: Indira Gandhi. Deeply influenced by her during her socialist phase. Impressed by her 'Garibi Hatao' slogan, nationalisation of banks and cancellation of privy purses.

First electoral experience: Ran for the Assembly from Pulivendula in 1978 at the age of 28. Trounced D Narayana Reddy of the Janata Party by 20,000 votes.

Political mentor: Father Y S Raja Reddy.

Strongest political act: Sat on a hunger strike at the MLAs' hostel when an agitation against the power tariff hike was at its peak. Going on a padayatra of drought-hit districts in the high summer of 2003 to highlight the people's plight. That yatra made him the tallest leader in the AP Congress.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So we lost an astute politician who believed in doing good to the poor. The medicare programme of Tamilnadu Govt is stated to be inspired by his Arogyasri prog.

A politician's main business is to stay in power or hope to come to power. While at it, if someone does real good to the needy people, that merits high praise. But loyalty to the family lineage is what worries. What is to become of other aspiring hard working party leaders in second line of command if the baton passes from father to son or mother to son etc.