Vedavyasa Srinivasa Acharya (6 July 1940 – 14 February 2012) was an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

senior leader of the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

(BJP) in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. He was the Higher Education Minister in the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

Early life

V.S. Acharya was born on 6 July 1940 in

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

in a traditional Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin family. His parents were Vidwan Katte Srinivasa Acharya, a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

scholar & Smt. Krishnaveni Amma. After finishing his graduation in Medicine from the famous

Kasturba Medical College Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in coastal Karnataka, India, established in 1953.Manipal Manipal is a suburb and university town within Udupi, in coastal Karnataka, India. Manipal is located five kilometres away from the centre of Udupi City, in Udupi District, Karnataka (state) in south western India. It is administered by the Udup ...

, he started his medical profession by opening a private clinic in Kalmadi,

and earned fame as a good physician in the town. He married a fellow social worker Dr.Shanta Acharya and the couple had 4 sons and 1 daughter.

Political career

Having been associated with the

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...

from his childhood. He started his political career in the erstwhile

Bharatiya Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

, the predecessor of the

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mo ...

. He was first elected as a municipal councillor and then, as president of the Udupi municipal council in 1968. This was the first ever victory of the

Jana Sangh The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...

in an urban municipality in

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. The BJP leader

Lal Krishna Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...

later remarked that the Jana Sangh victory in the Udupi municipal council in 1968 laid foundation for the BJP rule in South India and particularly in the state of Karnataka. As the youngest municipal president of Udupi, he was hailed for his pro-active role in the development of the town. He remained municipal president for a period of 8 years and the Swarna river water supply system, Under ground drainage system, Town roads widening etc.were some of his achievements during this period. Under his presidency Udupi Municipality in 1968 became first in nation to ban carrying night soil by humans. During the

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

(1975–77), he was imprisoned for a period of 19 months. After being released, he unsuccessfully contested the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

elections from Udupi in 1977 and 1980. He was elected as a member of the

Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses are ...

from Udupi constituency in 1983 and was the floor leader of the BJP Legislature party. He was a Member of the

Karnataka Legislative Council The Karnataka Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Karnataka state in South Western India. Karnataka is one of the six states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses: the Le ...

from 1996 until his death. In the BJP- Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government headed by H.D.Kumaraswamy, he was Cabinet minister for Medical Education with additional charge of Animal Husbandry. Following the historic victory of the BJP in Karnataka in the 2008 state assembly elections, he was appointed the Home minister in the

Yeddyurappa Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa (born 27 February 1943), often referred to by his initials BSY, is an Indian politician currently serving as the member of the Bharatiya Janata Party National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Parl ...

government. He was considered as the second most important leader of the government after the Chief minister and was also the Leader of the House in the legislative council. As home minister, he was credited with the streamlining of administration and modernising of the police force in the state. Later, he was appointed the Higher Education minister in 2010. Acharya was one of the most senior leaders of the BJP in Karnataka and as such, played an important role in the growth of the party in the state. He was president of the Dakshina Kannada district unit of the Jana Sangh (1974–77),

Janata Party The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...

(1977–80) and BJP (1980–83). Also, he played a major role in the formation of the

Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven talu ...

in 1998. Known for his honesty, simplicity, dedication, wit and hard work, the soft-spoken Acharya was widely respected in the BJP and across party lines. As a loyal worker of the

, he remained committed to the ideology and discipline of the organisation and inspired thousands of BJP workers and leaders.

Death

He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 14 February 2012. He was participating in a program when he suddenly collapsed. He died on the way to the hospital. The Chief minister

D.V. Sadananda Gowda Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda (born 18 March 1953), is an Indian politician who served as the union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India in the Second Modi ministry from 14 November 2018 to 7 July 2021. He also served as the M ...

described him as the conscience keeper of the BJP Government. Various other leaders like

L.K. Advani Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...

and B.S. Yeddyurappa paid homage to him and praised the services rendered by Acharya to the party and the state.

References

External links

The illustrious journey of V.S.AcharyaV.S.Acharya's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acharya, V.S. People from Udupi Tulu people Mangaloreans 1940 births 2012 deaths Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council Karnataka MLAs 1983–1985 State cabinet ministers of Karnataka Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India) Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Karnataka Karnataka municipal councillors People from Chitradurga Janata Party politicians