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Speech of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister at the Sansmaran Sabha to pay tribute to Shri Jaipal Reddy at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre New Delhi on 3rd September, 2019 We gather here today to pay tribute to my dear friend, colleague and great leader Shri Jaipal Reddy ji. He was a treasure house of wisdom and knowledge. For ten years he was my colleague in UPA Cabinet and a law-maker for forty five years. It is no exaggeration to say that in his death, Indian politics has lost an excellent orator, a very good administrator, an outstanding Parliamentarian and a great leader. He had an excellent leadership quality. His leadership quality was a mix of a lot of things, the first and foremost was about having faith in his beliefs. He had solid faith in his ideas. As in the case of a true leader he was a very good communicator, listening to others and setting examples for others to follow. A politician with a difference he was an eloquent orator, a writer, a scholar and a witty speaker. His speeches were packed with wit, criticism and in-depth information. Jaipal ji started as a student activist, rose to become president of the Indian Youth Congress from Andhra Pradesh, and then plunged into national politics braving polio among a host of other challenges. He went on to play an active role in national affairs for over four decades. His popularity and followings grew tremendously in Andra Pradesh which made him victorious four times to the Andhra Assembly polls and five times in Lok Sabha elections. Twice he was elected to Rajya Sabha and served in the Cabinet of four Union Governments. True to his character, popularity and vision he bid farewell to us and this World as a spotless Leader who never faced any charge of corruption or impropriety through out his life. His political journey was of grit and determination. Hailing from a backward village in Mahbubnagar, notwithstanding his physical disability affected by polio and other difficulties, he grew from an ordinary student leader to become a very important Central Minister. With this determination and strong feeling of ideology he grew from a student leader in Osmania University to become a Legislator in the combined Andhra Pradesh, then a Parliamentarian and a Central Cabinet Minister. Jaipal ji was always known for standing by his principles and ideology. He was somebody that people looked up to, both in the public and also within the Congress leadership, and never minced words in expressing his opinion. In his political career Jaipal ji stood for righteousness and always opposed anything which he felt was unjust or wrong. Whether it pleased somebody or not, he always went according to his beliefs. As a Parliamentarian, he expressed himself without compromising on whatever he believed in and he chose very specific words in his speeches. He played a crucial role convincing the Government and the Congress Party the importance of granting separate Statehood for Telangana. He was a staunch supporter for Telangana and he played a silent yet vital role towards taking the historic decision of dividing Andhra Pradesh and granting separate Statehood for Telangana in 2014. Jaipal Reddy ji was a great orator and an extraordinary leader who could attract the people from all walks of life. He always thought about the development of the poor people especially the downtrodden and weaker sections of society. People of all walks of life loved him and respected and accepted him as their Leader which is evident from his election to the State Legislature four times and five times to the Lok Sabha. For his overall contribution in the Indian Parliament he was awarded the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award. His fluency in both English and Telugu amazed the listeners, both his admirers as well as his critics. He served as Minister in various Ministries at the Centre like Information and Broadcasting, Urban Development, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Ministry of Science and Technology. He was a very good administrator and it was his farsightedness which was instrumental in bringing forth the Prasar Bharati Bill. He piloted the Prasar Bharati Bill when he was the Minister of Information & Broadcasting to give autonomy to Doordarshan and All India Radio. My friend, Jaipal ji, was not only an excellent orator, but was also an eminent writer. He authored a very influential and thought provoking book entitled "Ten Ideologies: The Great Asymmetry between Agrarianism and Industrialism” which I had the privilege of launching. The book has many firsts to its credit. They include dealing with almost all the influential ideologies of our times within the compass of a short book. Throughout his life Jaipal ji thought of India in terms of the needs of poor and the oppressed and the downtrodden. He always thought of their well being and the ways and means of promoting development - both social and economic. I take this opportunity to pay my homage to Shri Jaipal Reddy ji, a great Parliamentarian and a very warm hearted friend of mine. ******** .

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