Kyasamballi Chengaluraya Reddy (4 May 1902 – 27 February 1976) was the first

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Mysore State Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later India, Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's c ...

(Now

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 ...

). Reddy later served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh.

Early life

K.C. Reddy was born on 4 May 1902 into a

Vokkaliga Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Wakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community, or a group of closely-related castes, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. As ...

family in Kyasamballi village,

Kolar district Kolar district ) is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar ( ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the Bangalore Rural d ...

. He was a revolutionary from childhood and participated in many protests against

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

in India.

Career

After graduating in law, Reddy along with other political activists, founded the Praja Paksha (''Peoples' Party'') in 1930. The aim of this party was to achieve responsible government in the

Princely state of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

. The party gained support in rural areas as it largely highlighted the issues of farmers. The Praja Paksha and Praja Mitra Mandali joined to form the Praja Samyukta Paksha (''Mysore People's Federation'') in 1934. Reddy served as its president from 1935 to 1937.Community dominance and political modernisation: the Lingayats – Shankaragouda Hanamantagouda Patil – Google Books
/ref> Later, the federation merged with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

and participated in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

. Reddy served as the president of Mysore Congress twice, in 1937–38 and 1946–47. He was also a member of the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

. After independence of India in 1947, he was at the forefront of the Mysore Chalo movement seeking responsible state government in

and went on to become the first Chief Minister of the state. He served in this position from 1947 to 1952. Reddy was elected as a member of the

Mysore 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 ar ...

in 1952. Subsequently, he served as a member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

from 1952 to 1957 and as a member of 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 ...

, representing Kolar from 1957 to 1962. During this period, he also served as Union Minister for Housing and Supplies (1957–61) and as Union Minister for Commerce and Industries (1961–62). Later, he also served as Governor of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

from 1965 to 1971. Reddy's birth centenary was commemorated in 2002 when his contribution towards the development of Karnataka was hailed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, K. C. 1902 births 1976 deaths Chief Ministers of Karnataka People from Kolar district Governors of Madhya Pradesh Members of the Constituent Assembly of India India MPs 1957–1962 Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka Lok Sabha members from Karnataka Chief ministers from Indian National Congress Indian National Congress politicians from Karnataka Commerce and Industry Ministers of India Mysore MLAs 1952–1957 Members of the Mysore Legislature India MPs 1962–1967

Early life

Career

See also

References