RAMAKRISHNA HEGDE

Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.

RAMAKRISHNA HEGDE

Ramakrishna Hegde is a veteran politician. He was born on August 29, 1927 at Siddapur, Karnataka to Mahabaleshwar Hegde and Saraswati Hegde. He was educated at Kashi Vidyapeeth, Banaras and Lucknow University.

Hegde participated in and was jailed during the Quit India Movement. He was the Deputy Minister in the Government of Karnataka in 1957. He has the distinction of presenting thirteen budgets in the State Assembly He became the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1983 and was again elected to the post in 1985. He remained in office till he resigned in 1988. He worked for the unity of the opposition parties before the Janata Dal came into being in 1999.

He was also the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India, during the time of  V.P.Singh. He was expelled from Janata Dal by its president Lalu Prasad Yadav, as per the instructions of then Prime minister   H. D. Deve Gowda. Ramakrishna Hegde formed 'Rashtreeya Nava nirmana vedike' a social organisation and then 'Lokashakti'. He became the commerce minister in the BJP lead NDA government.

He was instrumental in bringing the different opposition parties together as a result of which the Janata Dai came into being. He was the Vice-President of the Janata Dal. He is the Founder President of Lok Shakti.