Jayadevappa Halappa Patel
Encyclopedia
Jayadevappa Halappa Patel (Kannada: ಜಯದೇವಪ್ಪ ಹಾಲಪ್ಪ ಪಟೇಲ) (October 1, 1930 – December 12, 2000) was the 15th chief minister of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

. He was born in a Lingayat family on October 1, 1930 in Kariganur, now in Davanagere district, Karnataka. Patel was a Graduate in Law. He married Sarvamangala and had three sons Trishul, Satish and Mahima.

Biography

J.H. Patel was a great orator and witty leader, an astute politician, acclaimed parliamentarian and staunch socialist.
A nonchalant leader, Patel endeared himself to his political adversaries by his affectionate and friendly attitude.
A witty Patel was in the eye of storm for revelations on his personal lifestyle. His public announcements when he was the Karnataka chief minister that he adored lord Krishna, loved wine and women, kicked off a heated debate.

A deft handler of any situation, Patel had the capability to withstand criticism and was endowed with abundant patience to dismiss them cheerfully.
The socialist leader and an ardent follower Ram Manohar Lohia
Ram Manohar Lohia
Rammanohar Lohia was an Indian freedom fighter and a socialist political leader.-Early life:Lohia was born in a village Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, in India to Hira Lal, a nationalist and Chanda,a teacher. He was born to Marwari Maheshwari family. His mother died when he...

, Patel's oratory skills left his mark on many.

He remained a non-Congress leader throughout his life and was the president of the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal.

Patel witnessed a turbulent political days following the split in the Janata Dal, the JD (united) in which he remained and the JD (secular), led by Deve Gowda. In his last election a young candidate Vadnal Rajanna defeated him.

He died at the Manipal Hospital, Bangalore on December 12, 2000 at 2:30 am. Patel was buried with State honours at his native village, Kariganur. In the last few months, Mr. Patel had been making efforts for the merger of the two Janata Dal factions - the JD (United) and the JD (Secular) headed by Mr. Gowda - and that was one of his unfulfilled missions.

Career

J.H. Patel was a rare politician known for his wit and sarcasm. He participated in the freedom struggle in 1947 and was imprisoned. He also served jail terms for participating in Kagodu Satyagraha and during the Emergency.

He was elected to Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

 from Shimoga constituency in 1967, and was the first Kannadiga to table his debates in Kannada. J.H. Patel created history in Lok Sabha in 1967 when he dared to speak in his mother tongue Kannada in the house. The speaker of Lok Sabha, Sanjeev Reddy
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the sixth President of India, serving from 1977 to 1982 and was the only person to be elected President of India unopposed....

 allowed and encouraged Patel to go ahead with his speech. The house heard him with rapt attention. The Indian parliament had been active for 17 years and Patel became the first member to speak in a regional Indian language. He did so in vindication of the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution in which all the great languages of India have been given a pride of Place. This prompted the speaker of Lok Sabha, Sanjeev Reddy to decree in his famous ruling that henceforth any member of the Lok Sabha who is inclined to exercise his/her inherent right to speak in his/her mother tongue would do so without any hindrance.

Patel was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Channagiri
Channagiri
Channagiri is a panchayat town in Davanagere district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is a taluk headquarters in Davanagere District.-History:...

 constituency in 1978. He was elected for the second term in 1983, and served as a cabinet minister under Ramakrishna Hegde
Ramakrishna Hegde
Ramakrishna Mahabaleshwar Hegde was an Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for three terms and as Minister of Commerce and Industry in the Union government.-Early life:...

. Patel also served as a minister in S R Bommai's government, and became the deputy chief minister in 1994 when the Janata Dal returned to power under the chief ministership of H D Deve Gowda. He succeeded Gowda in 1996 following the latter's elevation to the post of prime minister. He is the first Chief minister of Karnataka who was never a member of the Indian national Congress. Patel's political acumen came to fore when he had to face stiff dissidence from Janta Dal partymen during 1998. When party affairs took a turn for the worse, Patel stunned every one including his detractors by recommending dissolution of the state assembly, six months ahead of the assembly polls in 1999.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK