The Hindu : A man of the people, says President

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Monday, Mar 04, 2002

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A man of the people, says President

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 3. The sudden and tragic death of the Lok Sabha Speaker, Ganti Mohan Chandra Balayogi, in a helicopter crash today has shocked the nation. Tributes continued to pour in from all over the country recalling his contribution and conduct in presiding over the lower House.

The President, K.R. Narayanan, said Mr. Balayagi was a young leader of great promise who had emerged as a great Speaker. "His influence over the troubled parliamentary politics of our time was constructive and decisive. A man of the people, he had genuine and passionate sympathies for the poor and the deprived.''

The Vice-President, Krishan Kant, said Mr. Balayogi had set high standards in parliamentary management and was respected and loved for his knowledge of the intricacies of parliamentary rules and procedures, rational judgments, easy accessibility and unfailing courtesy. "He steadily grew in stature as the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha and discharged his difficult responsibilities with wisdom and great finesse, for which he received just acclaim.''

PM condoles

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, said Mr. Balayogi "would always be remembered for his able stewardship of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha. Despite not having any previous experience, he left an indelible impression by conducting the House through his talent, hard work and far-sightedness, taking everyone along with him."

The Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, said in Ahmedabad that in Mr. Balayogi's death, Parliament had "lost an impartial person who presided over the proceedings in the country's highest platform with competence and integrity. He was a good Speaker and very impartial in his dealings."

The Union Cabinet adopted a resolution describing Mr. Balayogi as a democrat who scrupulously upheld democratic and parliamentary traditions in all circumstances. "A soft-spoken man, possessed of an affable personality, he had the uncanny ability to take every section of the House along. He was tactful but always fair and impartial in all his dealings and decisions,'' the resolution said.

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, said Mr. Balayogi's initiatives to bring orderliness in the deliberations of the House had won him universal respect. "His capacity to iron out differences among various political persuasions was exceptional.''

`Guiding light'

The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson, Najma Heptulla, said in his death the country had lost a "guiding light of our Parliament'' and recalled that both she and Mr. Balayogi had espoused the country's stand on critical international issues with other Parliaments.

The Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, P.M. Sayeed, described him as "a man of phenomenal patience'' and a "realistic person who brought with him a grassroots level experience, having closely been associated with decentralised bodies of the governance in the country." Mr. Balayogi was one of the examples of the heights to which a Dalit leader could rise in Indian democracy, he added.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker, P.A. Sangma of the Nationalist Congress Party, said Mr. Balayogi was a "gentleman Speaker of enormous dignity'' who did not spare efforts to take the entire House along, despite the "nerve-racking differences and disharmonies" among various parliamentary parties. He said the tragedy was not a blow just for the Telugus but for the people of India, especially parliamentarians.

Expressing shock, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, K.S. Sudarshan, said Mr. Balayogi had endeared himself to all by the fair and fearless manner in which he conducted the proceedings of the House.

Recalling his association with Mr. Balayogi, the former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, said the late leader's dignified and pleasing style had caught his attention even prior to his occupying the Speaker's office. Apart from being the youngest Speaker to occupy the post, it was the first time a member of a regional party and the Dalit community had been elected to the office.

The CPI(M) central committee, which was in meeting, observed a minute's silence in memory of the departed leader and noted his contribution. The CPI general secretary, A.B. Bardhan, said Mr. Balayogi had distinguished himself as a Speaker and as a prominent personality in political life.

The AIl-India Forward Bloc, the CPI (M-L), the Indian National Lok Dal, the Samata Party, the Republican Party of India and the All-India Milli Council also condoled Mr. Balayogi's death.

The Union Ministers, Sharad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Braja Kishore Tripathy, B.C. Khanduri, Manohar Josh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, C.P. Thakur, the Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, P.K. Dhumal and Capt. Amarinder Singh, also paid rich tributes.

CII, NGOs condole death

The president of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Sanjiv Goenka, said Mr. Balayogi's association with the body went back a long way. The Centre of Concern for Child Labour said the NGOs would miss Mr. Balayogi as he had always helped them. He gave preference to human values over technology. "The NGOs of India have lost a true friend''

UNI, PTI report:

The Union Rural Development Minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu, today expressed profound shock over the death of Mr. Balayogi. "In his death, I have lost a close friend."

The Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, said the death of Mr. Balayogi was a personal loss to her.

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