Friends and classmates of late S. Jaipal Reddy fondly recalled their association with the brilliant student leader who went on to become an outstanding parliamentarian and remained committed to the principles he believed as a Statesman politician.
Paying rich tributes and narrating personal anecdotes of their association from student days to later stages of Mr. Jaipal Reddy’s life, they said he was a distinguished alumnus of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in Arts College of Osmania University in 1964-65. Earlier, he did his MA in English in the same university.
Speaking at the condolence meeting organised by the Department of Journalism, OU, speakers recalled their recent discussions and how he was against demonetisation decision of Prime Minster Narendra Modi. He expressed his concern about 35(A) article related to Jammu and Kashmir and about the future of secular, democratic fabric of the nation and fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Mr. Ramachandra Murthy, a veteran journalist, recalled that Jaipal Reddy was a great strategist and during bifurcation of combined State of Andhra Pradesh, it was his decision to send an emissary to RSS that clinched the issue and made BJP’s Venkaiah Naidu and Sushma Swaraj actively support the Bill in the Parliament. He was a statesman, intellectual and man of integrity. He did not hesitate to leave Janata party to join Congress and vice-versa when he differed on issues based on his convictions.
Mohan Guruswamy, chairman and founder, Centre for Policy Alternatives, and former Advisor to the Union Finance Minister in 1998, said Jaipal Reddy was a man untouched by corruption. Whenever a test came, he would reveal his character. When he was the Union Petroleum Minister, he differed with the Prime Minister and even Ms. Sonia Gandhi on oil and gas prices and refused to tow their line. He had to be shifted to the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Veteran journalist J.V. Laxman Rao said he was classmate of late Jaipal Reddy in journalism. Jaipal Reddy was an excellent orator even as a student both in Telugu and English and they would compare his speeches with that of the Vice-Chancellor. Prof Sridhar Reddy said Jaipal Reddy believed in creative thinking and had a comprehensive outlook. Registrar Gopal Reddy said he was proud that Jaipal Reddy was an alumnus of OU. Later a commemorative issue of ‘Osmania Courier’ brought out by the Journalism Department was released.
