YSR-A doctor turned leader of the masses Tuesday, May 11 2004 16:21 Hrs (IST)
Hyderabad:
Education and Career:
Y S Rajashekhar Reddy, popularly know as YSR graduated in medical science from M R College of Gulbarga. He did his House-Surgency in S V Medical college, Tirupati. After completing MBBS, he served as Medical Officer at CSI Campbell Hospital, Jammalamadugu for a brief period.
In 1973 he established a 70-bed charitable hospital at Pulivendala in the name of Sri Y S Raja Reddy. The hospital continues to serve the poor till today. His family established a Polytechnic and a degree college in Pulivendala, which were later handed over to the well-known Loyola institutions.
Besides these, YSR's family established many more educational and training centres in and around Pulivendala. Raveendranatha Elementary and High School must be mentioned first. And YSR family also established a Junior college for girls in memory of Sri Venkata Reddy, grandfather of YSR.
Y S Raja Reddy ITI in Pulivendala and Y.S. Raja Reddy junior college in Simhadri Puram were also established subsequently.
Born on July 8, 1949, Dr YSR is into active politics since a quarter of a century and has been representing his party on different fora. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Cuddapah constituency for four times and got elected to A P Assembly for four times from Pulivendala constituency. He remains the one of those very few politicians around who never lost an election.
Accomplishments:
Getting Tunga Bhadra water for Pulivendala Branch Canal (PBC), though to a small extent, was his first achievement as MLA. Objective of PBC is to cater to wet-cum-dry irrigation of about 55,000 acres, which can be safely said, the dream of Pulivendala taluk.
Assessing properly the insufficient source for PBC, YSR fought for Chitravathi Balancing Reservoir (CBR) with a capacity of 5 TMC and could successfully get it sanctioned and got the diaphragm wall built during Congress regime.
He organised a movement to enhance the capacity of CBR and got sanctioned 10 TMC capacity CBR during congress regime.
He got a comprehensive drinking water scheme that can cater to the needs of 176 villages in Pulivendala constituency. Former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao laid the foundation for this scheme.
Thanks to this scheme, not less than 80 villages are getting water during all seasons. Wherever the need for drinking water or irrigation water arises, you find YSR there. Former Chief Minister of AP N T Rama Rao took cue from the Rayalaseema agitation for water under the leadership of YSR and laid foundations for Telugu Ganga project, Srisailam Right Branch Canal, Galeru Nagari canal, & Gandikota reservoir.
YSRs personal contribution in realizing projects like RTPP (Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant) at Muddanur, and Proddatur Milk Foods and its ancillaries, Milk chilling plants at various locations are always remembered.
For Pulivendala plant, YSRs family members donated 5 acres of land. His positive intervention into projects like laying Yerraguntla-Nandyal railway line, and Chittoor - Kurnool national Highway resulted in their expedited implementation.
His follower's Leader:
The most important quality that marks YSR a distinct leader is his attitude to his followers. He has always been his cadre's leader. He was not enforced upon his ranks; it is those grass-root level party workers cutting across the regions, castes, communities and groups, who chose him to be their leader.
Followers' being loyal to their leaders is a regular stereotype; but a leader of YSR's stature honouring his followers' word with a religious fervour is certainly a rarity.
