Vennelakanti Raghavaiah B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

, B.L. (born: 4 June 1897 - died: 24 November 1981) was social worker and Indian freedom activist. He was affectionately called "Girijan Gandhi" for his selfless service to the Adivasi

Adivasi

Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...

 people.

He is born at Singapeta village in Kovur

Kovur

Kovur is a census town and Mandal headquarters in Nellore district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Geography:Kovur is located at . It has an average elevation of 15 meters .-Demographics:...

 Taluq of Nellore district

Nellore district

Sri Amarajeevi Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District is one of the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh. Nellore is famous for high paddy field, and so it got its name from "Nelli". The population of the district was 2,966,082 of which 22.45% were urban as of 2011....

 to Vennelakanti Papaiah and Subbamma. He has completed Bachelor of Arts and Law (B.A.,B.L.) from Madras University. He has joined Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...

 led by Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...

 and actively participated in Non-coperation movement, Salt Satyagraha

Salt Satyagraha

The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagrahah began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930, and was an important part of the Indian independence movement. It was a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India, and triggered the wider...

 and was jailed for 21 months. He was again arrested for participating in Quit India movement

Quit India Movement

The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...

 for two and half years.

He was elected to the Combined Madras State from Nellore constituency for two terms. He held the position of Parliamentary secretary in 1946 headed by Tanguturi Prakasam

Tanguturi Prakasam

Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu was an Indian politician and Freedom Fighter and the first Chief Minister of the Indian province Andhra state...

. During his tenure he fought for the scraping of Criminal Tribes Act

Criminal Tribes Act

The term Criminal Tribes Act applies to various successive pieces of legislation enforced in India during British rule; the first enacted in 1871 as applied mostly in North India The Act was extended to Bengal Presidency and other areas in 1876, and finally with the Criminal Tribes Act 1911, it...

 of 1871.

He has received Padma Bhushan

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...

from Government of India in 1973.