Man of masses

T Anjaiah, a man who started his career as a six anna labour in Allwyn Company in Hyderabad rose to become the seventh Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Born in Bhanur in Medak district, he had his education in Sultan Bazaar high school upto Matriculation. Due to his financial conditions, he could not continue his studies and joined Allwyn Company as a labour and gradually became the labour union leader. His hard work and dedication towards Indira Gandhi and Congress party helped him to become a Central Minister. As union Labour Minister he always tried his best to protect the interests of labour in the country.

Later in 1980 when the AP government was mired in allegations of corruption under the rule of Dr M Chenna Reddy, Congress High Command asked Chenna Reddy to step down and made Anjaiah as the Chief Minister.

During his time, for some reasons, several jokes used to make rounds. There was no social media like today but jokes on him were in circulation. One such joke was that one day Anjaiah was on a tour of Hyderabad city. Being a true Hyderabadi, he knew the city very well. As his car was crossing Deepak Mahal theatre near Narayanaguda crossroads, he is said to have asked his secretary "Kya bhai aaj kal Deepak mahal me kya chalra hai"? The secretary answered, "Sir Deepak Mahal is under renovation." Anjaiah exclaimed, "oh ! Deepak Mahal mein english film bh bhi dikhare kya aaj kal"?

Jokes apart, he was man who had risen from grass root level and knew the problems of common man very well. As Chief Minister he conducted elections for the Panchayati Raj bodies and Municipalities. It was the first time that Sarpanches of the Grama Panchayats and Presidents of Panchayath Samithi's were elected directly by the electorate.

It was Anjaiah who offered help to Dr Prathap C Reddy to start a hospital in Andhra Pradesh. The first kidney transplant surgery in Andhra Pradesh took place during his regime with money from Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The two young upcoming politicians at that time, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and N Chandrababu Naidu gained importance during his tenure as chief minister. Chandrababu Naidu was appointed as minister for cinematography in his cabinet. He was also the mentor of P Janardhan Reddy who later became the Labour Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

C Jagannath Rao, who served in his cabinet as a Home Minister once said, "Whatever one may say against him, his remarkable simplicity endeared him to the people."

To accommodate different groups in the party, Anjaiah constituted a jumbo cabinet consisting of 61 ministers and that was considered to be the first mad angle of his government. Later, following the direction of the Congress high command, he had to drop them and to avoid dissent in the party he created several corporations and appointed them as chairmen. These corporations did not function and proved to be rehabilitation centres and that's a different issue.

Anjaiah in one way helped the TDP to rake up the issue of 'Teluguvari Atma gauravam,' (self respect of Telugu's) as he was badly insulted by Rajiv Gandhi at Begumpet airport.

Rajiv was the AICC general secretary and had come to Hyderabad on a private visit. Anjaiah who was the Chief Minister in his attempt to give a warm welcome akin to Congress party style ensured that there was a crowd of 200 people waiting for Rajiv armed with garlands. There was beating of drums outside, pageantry and dancing crowds waiting outside the Begumpet airport. Apart from himself, his entire cabinet was in attendance.

Upset over this show, Rajiv Gandhi pulled up Anjaiah and called him a 'buffoon.' He also convinced Indira Gandhi to sack him. Added to this, the Congress party had lost Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam municipal elections. All this led to his stepping down from the post of Chief Ministership. While stepping down Anjaiah remarked that he had come to power by the grace of 'Madam' (Indira Gandhi) and was quitting under her orders but did not know why he became the Chief Minister and why he had to leave.

The Actor turned politician N T Rama Rao who had floated his TDP party made best use of this incident and it made the Congress party lose the election in Andhra Pradesh for the first time. It was almost decimated in 1983 Assembly elections.

In 1984 Lok Sabha elections, he got elected as an MP from Secunderabad constituency and continued to represent it till his death. Whether in power or out of power, he was always a man of masses.