Basappa Danappa Jatti

Basappa Danappa Jatti (Kannada: ಬಸಪ್ಪ ದಾನಪ್ಪ ಜತ್ತಿ) (10 September 1912 – 7 June 2002) was born to Kannada Lingayat Banajiga family at Savalgi, Bijapur district of Karnataka state. Jatti graduated as a lawyer from Sykes Law College, Kolhapur and became a pleader in Jamakhandi. He was President of India (acting) from 11 February 1977 to 25 July 1977.

Biography

Soft-spoken Jatti rose from a humble beginning as a Municipality member to India’s second-highest office during a five-decade-long chequered political career.

Born in Savalgi in Jamakhandi Taluk of Bijapur district, Mr Jatti entered politics as a Municipality member at Jamakhandi in 1940 and later became its President. He was eventually elected to the Jamakhandi State Legislature.

A graduate in law from Rajaram College, in Kolhapur when it was affiliated with the then University of Bombay, he practised for a brief period as a pleader in Jamakhandi. He was appointed minister of Jamakhandi state, and subsequently became its Chief Minister. On 8 March 1948 after Jamakhandi was merged with Bombay state, he returned to legal practice and continued it for 20 months. Jatti was also nominated as member of the Bombay State Legislative Assembly to represent the merged area, and, within a week of his nomination, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the then Bombay Chief Minister, B G Kher. He worked in that capacity for a couple of years.

After the 1952 general elections, he was appointed Minister of Health and Labour of the then Bombay Government and held that post till the reorganisation of states.

Jatti became member of the Mysore Legislative Assembly after the reorganisation and was Chairman of the Land Reforms Committee. He became Chief Minister in 1958 and continued in that office until 1962.

Re-elected from Jamkhandi constituency in the third general elections, Jatti was appointed Finance Minister on 2 July 1962 in the Nijalingappa Ministry. He was re-elected to the fourth Assembly from the same constituency and appointed as Minister of Food and Civil Supplies.

Jatti subsequently moved onto the national scene and was appointed Lt Governor of Pondicherry in 1968. He became Orissa Governor in 1973 and, in 1974, assumed office as the fifth Vice-President until 1980. He became acting President for a brief period after the death of Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. After leaving the office as Vice-President, Jatti continued to be in the limelight as a keen observer of the political situation in the country.

A deeply religious man, he was also founder president of the Basava Samithi, which propagated the preachings of 12th century saint philosopher Basaveshwara. He was also involved in various organisations concerned with social activities.

Religion

Outside of politics, Jatti was founder president of the Basava Samithi, a religious movement propagated the preachings of 12th century saint, philosopher and Hindu refomer Basaveshwara.

See also

• List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka
• Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of states of India
• List of Governors of India

External links

• B.D. Jatti