Gangadharaiah Parameshwara (born 6 August 1951) is an Indian politician who served as seventh

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka The Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka is a member of the Cabinet in the Government of Karnataka. Not technically a constitutional office, it seldom carries any specific powers. A deputy Chief minister usually also holds a key cabinet portfolio ...

, and also the longest-serving President of the

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (or Karnataka PCC) is the unit of the Indian National Congress for the state of Karnataka. Its head office is situated at the ''Congress Bhawan'', Queens Road, Bangalore. Electoral performance Karnataka L ...

for two consecutive terms.

Early life and education

Parameshwara was born on 6 August 1951, at Gollahalli (now known as Siddartha Nagar) in

Tumkur Tumkur, officially renamed as Tumakuru, is a city located in the southern part of Indian state of Karnataka. Tumkur is situated at a distance of northwest of Bangalore, the state capital along NH 48 and NH 73. It is the headquarters of the ...

. He was born to Gangamalamma Chikkanna and Former MLC Gangadharaiah Hebbalalu Mariyappa. Gangadharaiah hailed from Hebbalalu village in Amruthuru hobli of

Kunigal Kunigal is a town in Tumakuru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kunigal taluk. As of 2011 census, the town has a population of 34155. Kunigal is famous for stud farm established by Hyderali and Tippu Sultha ...

taluk, now in

Magadi Magadi is a Taluk headquarters located in Ramanagara district. The town is situated at a distance of 51 km from Bangalore. The founder of Bangalore, the great Kempegowda was a native of Kempapura, Magadi taluk. Magadi, having a rich cultur ...

taluk of

Ramanagara district Ramanagara district, is one of the 31 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Ramanagara City is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district is part of Bengaluru Division. History Ramanagara district was carved out ...

, before shifting to Gangamalamma's village Gollahalli in Tumakuru rural, Parameshwara is the third sibling after older brother Dr G. Shivaprasad. He studied primary education at Government School in Gollahalli (Siddartha Nagara) and Heggere,

. He went to Sri Siddhartha High School at Siddartha Nagar, which was established by his father in 1959. He joined Government Pre-University College in Tumkur and after Pre-University College went on to study for a B.Sc. in agriculture in the

University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UAS Bangalore) is located in Bengaluru, India. It was established in 1964 as UAS Bangalore by a legislative act. History Origin The British government in India, shaken by several famines in Indi ...

, followed by an M.Sc. in agriculture at the same college. After Post-Graduating, Parameshwara had briefly worked as

Research Assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

in Department of Plant Physiology at the

. Later, Parameshwara went overseas and obtained a PhD from Waite Agricultural Research Centre, the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Plant Physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

. He joined the

National Cadet Corps (India) The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is the youth wing of the Indian Armed Forces with its headquarters in New Delhi, India. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis as a Tri-Services Organisation, comprising the Army, the Navy an ...

at an early age. He was an athlete, has a record 10.9 seconds of

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

race in

. He represented Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra College in Inter-College/University and Karnataka state in Indian level.

Career

Parameshwara was an Administrative Officer in

Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology (SSIT) is a university located in Tumkur, Karnataka, India. Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology was established by the Siddhartha Education Society. History SSIT is managed by the Sri Siddhartha Edu ...

when he came back from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Before this, Parameshwara had briefly worked as

Research assistant A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private research. Research assistants are not in ...

in Department of Plant Physiology at UAS, Bangalore. In mid 1988, he helped his father to establish Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, which was earlier rejected by

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

Ramakrishna Hegde Ramakrishna Mahabaleshwar Hegde (29 August 1926 – 12 January 2004) was an Indian politician who served as the tenth Chief Minister of Karnataka for three terms between 1983 and 1988. He was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 19 ...

's Government but

Bangalore University Bangalore University (BU) is a public state university located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The university is a part of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and affiliated by Univers ...

had approved and later

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

gave permission to sanction Sri Siddhartha Medical College. In 1989, for the inauguration of the Sri Siddhartha Medical College, Parameshwara along with the Education Minister S. M. Yahya and

Mallikarjun Kharge Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian politician, who is the current president of the Indian National Congress, and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 16 February 2021. He became the first person outside ...

who was then President of the Sri Siddhartha Education Society, went on to invite Prime Minister

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian politician who served as the sixth prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to beco ...

, when Parameshwara went for the third time with S. M. Yahya to meet Prime Minister

, Rajiv Gandhi told Parameshwara to enter politics and eventually S. M. Yahya took Parameshwara to then AICC general secretary

Mohsina Kidwai Mohsina Kidwai (born 1 January 1932) is a leader of Indian National Congress party, she belongs to Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Currently she is a member of Rajya Sabha, elected from Chhattisgarh., She is a member of the Congress Working Committee ...

and made him Joint Secretary of

Political career

*In 1989 Parameshwara won against his nearest rival C. Rajavardhan of

Janata Dal Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 ...

Madhugiri Madhugiri is a city in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The city derives its name from a hillock, Madhu-giri (honey-hill) which lies to its south. Madhugiri is one of the 34 educational districts of the Karnataka state. Geogr ...

Constituency. *In 1993, Parameshwara served as Minister of State for

Sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...

during

Veerappa Moily Marpadi Veerappa Moily (born 12 January 1940) is an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress from the state of Karnataka. Moily was the former Chief Minister (and the first ethnic Tuluva CM) of the Indian state of Karnataka ...

cabinet. *In 1999, Parameshwara set a record in the 1999 election to the Assembly from

by winning the seat by a margin of 55,802 votes. ''It was the biggest victory margin in the elections that year''. He polled 71,895 votes and his runner up Gangahanumaiah of

Janata Dal (Secular) The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by the ...

secured only 16,093 votes. Parameshwara's poll was the highest in the state during 1999 election. *From 1999 to 2004, he has served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Higher Education and Science & Technology portfolio's also as

Tumkur district Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from ...

incharge Minister in

S. M. Krishna Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (born 1 May 1932) is an Indian politician who served as Minister of External Affairs of India from 2009 to October 2012. He was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1999 to 2004 and the 19th Governor of Mahara ...

Cabinet. *On 18 August 2001, he was inducted as Minister of State for Medical Education (attached to health minister) exchanging Science & Technology for Medical Education with Nafisa Fazal. *On 27 June 2002, Parmeshwar was promoted to cabinet rank by then Chief Minister

citing that they needed younger face in politics. *On 13 December 2003, he was inducted as Minister of Information & Publicity succeeding Prof. B.K. Chandrashekar. *In 2004, Parmeshwar won against his nearest rival Kenchamaraiah H. of

. *From 2007 to 2009, Dr G. Parameshwara served as

Congress Working Committee The Congress Working Committee (CWC) is the executive committee of the Indian National Congress. It was formed in December 1920 at Nagpur session of INC which was headed by C. Vijayaraghavachariar. It typically consists of fifteen members electe ...

Member. *In 2008, he represented

Koratagere Koratagere is a Panchayat Town in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Geography Koratagere is a Town in Koratagere Taluk in Tumkur District in Karnataka State. . It has an average elevation of 750 metres (2460 feet). Dem ...

as winning against runner up Chandraiah of

. *On 27 October 2010, he was appointed as the President of

replacing R. V. Deshapande. *On 1 July 2014, he got elected to Legislative Council. *On 30 October 2015, he was appointed as Home Minister of Karnataka replacing K. J. George. *On 15 January 2016, Dr G. Parameshwara was appointed as

Chikmagalur district Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikmagalur are parts of the Western Ghauts and the source of ...

incharge Minister. *On 24 June 2017, he resigned as Home Minister along with District incharge Minister of

to look after state campaign, He also handover Chairman of Campaign Committee of KPCC to

D. K. Shivakumar Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar (born 15 May 1962), also known by his initials as D. K. Shivakumar, is an Indian politician who is the 9th and Current List of deputy chief ministers of Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and also ...

and remained President of KPCC for the second term. *On 15 May 2018, Dr. G. Parameshwara won from

constitution as elected MLA Candidate. *On 23 May 2018, Dr. G. Parameshwara took oath as the

. *On 8 June 2018, Dr. G. Parameshwara took incharge of ''"Home Department of Karnataka (excluding Intelligence), Bengaluru Development (

BBMP The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is the administrative body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructural assets of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area. It is the fourth largest Municipal Corporation in India an ...

, BDA,

BWSSB The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is the premier governmental agency responsible for sewage disposal and water supply to the Indian city of Bangalore. It was formed in 1964. Water supply BWSSB currently supplies approximatel ...

, BMRDA, Directorate of Town Planning from Urban Development Department)'' and ''Youth Empowerment & Sports Department".'' *On 31 July 2018, Dr G. Parameshwara was appointed as District-incharge Minister of

Bangalore Urban Bangalore Urban district is the most densely populated district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is surrounded by the Bangalore Rural district on the east and north, the Ramanagara district on the west and the Krishnagiri district of Tami ...

and

Tumkur District Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from ...

. *On 28 Dec 2018, Dr G. Parameshwara had to part with The Home Minister portfolio & The Youth Empowerment and Sports portfolio in order to balance the regional wise distribution of Minister Posts, Dr G. Parameshwara Continued to hold the coveted Bengaluru Development ministry alongside three more portfolios "IT, BT, and Science and Technology; Law, Justice and Human Rights; and Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation".

Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000

Tumkur University

G. Parameshwara was chairman on board for Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000 and then he was Higher Education minister in

Cabinet who piloted a Bill (''Amending Act 10 of 2004)'' in February 2004 for an exclusive University in Tumkur. This act carved out half of

to make

Tumkur University Tumkur University was established in 2004 in Tumkuru, Karnataka, India. It was carved out of Bangalore University to accommodate the needs of the students from Tumkuru district. Established under the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, as ...

at Tumkur for Tumkur, Kolar and Bangalore Rural. In the beginning, they created Dr Ambedkar Bhavan for office purposes about 3 years as 200 acres land for the university wasn't available in Tumkur. Later vast land of Govt. Science & Arts College was used for University. On 12 January 2007,

was inaugurated by Governor T. N. Chaturvedi and Chief Minister

H. D. Kumaraswamy Haradanahalli Deve Gowda Kumaraswamy, (born 16 December 1959) known among followers as Kumaranna (''Kumar, the elder brother''), is an Indian politician and businessman who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 23 May 2018 to 23 J ...

after 3 years of passing Bill. It was delayed due to lack of infrastructure and funds from the successor coalition government and then Chief Minister

Dharam Singh Dharam Narayan Singh (25 December 1936 – 27 July 2017) was an Indian senior congress politician who served as the 17th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 28 May 2004 to 28 January 2006 and Member of the Lok Sabha from Bidar Lok Sabha constitue ...

who had announced the withdrawal of the government order which froze the setting up of

Tumkur university Tumkur University was established in 2004 in Tumkuru, Karnataka, India. It was carved out of Bangalore University to accommodate the needs of the students from Tumkuru district. Established under the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, as ...

Positions in political party

Minister in different ministries

Personal life

Parameshwara married Kannika Parameshwari, his friend's sister. The two had met while Parameshwara was studying in Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra, later married in 1982 in

Tumakuru Tumkur, officially renamed as Tumakuru, is a city located in the southern part of Indian state of Karnataka. Tumkur is situated at a distance of northwest of Bangalore, the state capital along NH 48 and NH 73. It is the headquarters of the ...

as per Buddhist norms. He is an

Ambedkarite Ambedkarism is called as the teaching, ideology or philosophy of B.R. Ambedkar, an Indian econonist, polymath, barrister, social reformer, human-rights advocate, and the architect of Indian Constitution. Ambedkarism includes the principles of Nava ...

, a follower of BR Ambedkar. Parameshwara believes in

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and its philosophy. Parameshwara is an art collector and artefacts picked up by him on his visits to many places.

Appointments and fellowships

Parameshwara has held various appointments and fellowships. These include: *

* Home Minister of Karnataka * President, Karnataka Athletics Association * Member, Board of Regent, University of Agriculture Science, Bangalore * Chairman, Sri Siddhartha University (SAHE), Tumkur * Honorary Joint Secretary, Sri Siddhartha Education Society. * Chairman, Karnataka Science & Technology Board, Tumkur * Member, Karnataka Library Authority * Member, Committee on Open University * Member, Price Fixation Committee on Agriculture * Member, Australian Society of Plant Physiology * Member, Indian Society of Plant Physiology * Member, Indian Society of Agricultural Science * Fellow of the Indian Institute of Agricultural Technologists * Fellow of the Indian Society of Technical Education

Awards

* Karnataka Game Changer Award 2017.(U. K. Karnataka Business Chamber) * National Unity Award in 1993. * Distinguished Leadership Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parameshwara, G University of Adelaide alumni Deputy Chief Ministers of Karnataka Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council Karnataka Legislative Council Karnataka MLAs 1989–1994 Karnataka MLAs 1999–2004 Karnataka MLAs 2004–2007 Karnataka MLAs 2008–2013 Karnataka MLCs 2014–2020 Karnataka MLAs 2018–2023 People from Tumkur 1951 births Living people Indian Buddhists Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka