Ramakrishna Hegde
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| Ramakrishna Hegde | |
| Preceded by | R Gundu Rao |
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| Succeeded by | S R Bommai |
| Constituency | Uttara Kannada |
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| Born | 29 August 1926 Siddapur, Uttara Kannada |
| Died | 12 January 2004 (aged 77) Bengaluru |
| Political party | Janata Dal, Lokashakti |
| Spouse | Shakuntala Hegde |
Ramakrishna Hegde (Kannada: ರಾಮಕೃಷ್ಣ ಹೆಗಡೆ) was born on August 29, 1926 at Siddapur, Uttara Kannada district. He was an Indian politician, Chief Minister of the Karnataka State for three terms and later served as the Union Commerce Minister.
His father's name was Mahabaleshwar Hegde and his mother was Saraswati Hegde. He was a lawyer by profession. He participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942 (Indian freedom struggle) and was an active member of the Congress Party. He became the president of the Uttara Kannada District Congress Committee from 1954 to 1957 and rose to become the general secretary of the Mysore Pradesh Congress Committee in 1958, a post he held until 1962. Much of his early administrative experience was built up during the governments of S. Nijalingappa (1957-58 and 1962-68) and Veerendra Patil (1968-71) in Karnataka, during which he held portfolios such as Cooperation and Development, Panchayati Raj between 1962 and 1965, Finance, Excise and Prohibition, and Information and Publicity between 1965 and 1967.
In the famous split in the Congress in 1969, Hegde joined the Congress (O). He was Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council for a few years until 1974. The 1975 Emergency crackdown on opposition leaders saw his arrest along with other state and national level leaders. When the emergency was lifted he joined the Janata Party becoming its general secretary. The Janata Party came to power as the single largest party in the 1983 State elections, and Hegde emerged as a compromise candidate between the powerful Lingayat and Vokkaliga lobbies. He won his government a two-thirds majority by an arrangement of outside support. He secured the support of 18 members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, six of the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist), and 16 Independents.
The principle of `value-based politics' was Hegde's contribution to political vocabulary, and to a large degree, to political practice as well. Hegde used this principle at different points in his career with his trademark elan to secure the moral high ground and thereby enhance his political stock, even though there were times when the slogan struck a distinctly discordant note. Following the poor performance of the Janata Party in the 1984 elections (it won only four out of the 28 seats), Hegde resigned on the grounds that his party had lost its popular mandate. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi allowed him to head a caretaker government. In the 1985 elections the Janata Party came to power with a comfortable majority.
Hegde's two tenures as Chief Minister (from 1983 to 1985, and 1985 to 1988) were memorable for his leadership that combined vision and administrative capability. In his very first year in office, Hegde, along with the able assistance extended by Abdul Nazir Sab, his Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, enacted a law that would devolve administrative powers to a three-tiered panchayati raj system. A wide range of financial and administrative powers were decentralized, setting a model of decentralized governance for the rest of the country. Despite the possibilities that this created, the potential of the panchayat raj system in Karnataka was never exploited to its maximum. During the Janata Party's rule it was an experiment still in its infancy. When the Congress returned to power in the State it replaced the original legislation with its own version of the Panchayat Raj Act, which took back many of the powers that had been given to panchayat bodies, thereby restricting the possibilities in people-oriented governance that the original act envisaged.
In power Hegde appeared to lead a battle against corruption. His crusade ignited new expectations and excitement in the public mind on the potential of what appeared to be a new brand of politics. However, there were occasions when his campaign rang hollow, as for example when several `scams' surfaced involving alleged corruption on the part of his own family. In most of these cases, however, Hegde did not hesitate to institute inquiries. When his son was accused of taking money for a medical seat, he ordered a judicial probe. He referred to the Lok Ayukta the allegations made by the Congress(I) against him in a case involving the transfer of shares by the NGEF company. He was cleared of the charges in 1988. He resigned twice from chief minister ship, the first time in February 1986 when the Karnataka High Court censured his government for the way it handled arrack bottling contracts, and again in August 1988 when he accepted moral responsibility for the tapping of the telephones of prominent politicians in the State. These acts of resignation may not have impressed his critics, but they enhanced his stature in the public perception.
Hegde's conviction that there was a need for a non-Congress, non-BJP formation at the national level led him to play an important role in the formation of the Janata Dal in 1988. His rocky relationship with H.D. Deve Gowda dates from his chief minister ship and his decision in 1988 to place a list of corruption charges by a BJP member against Gowda who was then Minister for Irrigation and Public Works before the corps of detectives with a one-month deadline to submit its report. The tussle between the leaders cast its shadow on the formation of the Janata Dal, and on the subsequent course of politics in the Janata parivar. Hegde's marginalization from active State politics began in 1994 with the election of a Janata Dal government with Deve Gowda at its helm. Hegde did not contest the elections (in fact the last direct election he contested - and lost - was in 1991 when he stood from the Bagalkot Lok Sabha constituency).
The formation of the United Front government at the Center in 1996 was for Hegde the end result of a long-held dream and much personal endeavor, and he made no secret of the fact that he believed he was the ideal candidate to head it. The choice of Deve Gowda as Prime Minister came as a cruel shock for him, forcing him to speak out in anguish and a certain degree of anger against the decision. To add to this humiliation came his expulsion from the Janata Dal, a move that was widely seen at the time to have been orchestrated by Deve Gowda. Hegde reacted by setting up the Navanirmana Vedike, an organization that allied with the BJP in the next elections in the State. The alliance with the BJP marked a definite departure from Hegde's professed principles. It was a partnership that he was never comfortable with
He became the first non-Congress chief minister of Karnataka with the support of BJP. First from January 10, 1983 - December 29, 1984 followed by term from March 8, 1985 - February 13, 1986 and finally from February 16, 1986 - August 10, 1988. He has the rare distinction of presenting thirteen finance budgets in the State Assembly.
He was also the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India, during the time of V P Singh. He was expelled from Janata Dal by its president Lalu Prasad Yadav, as per the instructions of then Prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda. Ramakrishna Hegde formed 'Rashtreeya Nava nirmana vedike' a social organisation and then 'Lokashakti'. He became the commerce minister in the BJP lead NDA government.
He died on January 12, 2004 in Bangalore. His wife Smt. Shakuntala Hegde unsuccessfully contested for Rajyasabha as a candidate of BJP.
He was immensely popular as the chief minister and was a charismatic personality. He brought many schemes for the welfare of people and changes in administration, which had far reaching effects. He acted in many dramas and movies such as 'Marana Mrudanga'. He was also the political mentor of a lot many politicians. At the age of 77 due to poor health Ramakrishna Hegde died on January 12, 2004
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