The Hindu : Raghunatha Reddy dead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 05, 2002

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Raghunatha Reddy dead

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH. 4. The former Governor of West Bengal and Tripura, K.V. Raghunatha Reddy, passed away in New Delhi today after a brief illness.

His family sources here said that the 78-year-old leader was undergoing treatment at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences for the last ten days. He is survived by his wife and son, both doctors.

Mr. Raghunatha Reddy was the Governor of West Bengal for five years from 1993 and of Tripura for three years earlier.

He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962 as an Independent backed by Communists. He was invited to join the Congress by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was impressed by his performance in Parliament.

Indira Gandhi first appointed him the Minister of State for Company Affairs and Industrial Development and later Minister of State for Labour. He served the Rajya Sabha for three terms and was in the council of ministers for 11 years.

A strong proponent of the public sector, he was one of the architects of the MRTP Act. He was often sent by Indira Gandhi for settling disputes in PSUs and was instrumental in drafting the Singareni Collieries Award.

He studied law in Lucknow University and practiced at Madras and Guntur.

He wrote a book on criminal law, which became a standard textbook in universities.

An active member of the Congress Forum for Socialist Action, along with leaders like Krishan Kant, Mohan Dharia and Amrit Nahata, he believed that there could be no socialism without democracy.

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