Ex-Union Minister and sr Congress leader Jaipal Reddy passes away

Hyderabad: Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy passed away at a hospital here while undergoing treatment in the early hours on Sunday.

He was 77 and is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Reddy was admitted to the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Gachibowli on July 20 with high fever and was undergoing treatment.

Sudini Jaipal Reddy was born on January 16, 1942 in Nermatta, a village in Chandur Mandal in Nalgonda District in Telangana but is actually from Maadgula, Mahbubnagar district in Telangana. 

He married Lakshmi on May 7 1960. Reddy has been polio-stricken since he was 18-months old, and uses crutches to walk. He has an M.A. from the Osmania University, Hyderabad.

The former Union Minister has been an agriculturist and favourite pastime is reading and has visited many countries.

He was the member of the 15th Lok Sabha and was the Minister of Science and Technology. He represented the Chevella constituency of Telangana and is a member of the Indian National Congress.

He served as a Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting in IK Gujral cabinet in 1998. In 1999 he returned to Indian National Congress after 21 years. In 2004 he was re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha from Miryalguda Constituency and then he served as a Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Union Minister for Urban Development in United Progressive Alliance-1 government.

In 2009 he was re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from the Chevella constituency and served as a Union Minister for Urban Development and Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Reddy was the Union Minister for the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology from October 29 2012 to May 18 2014.

During his political career, Reddy served as a Lok Sabha MP for five times, elected to the Rajya Sabha two times and was an MLA for four times. (UNI)