Former CM S R Bommai - the Man, Life and Career
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (MB)
Bangalore, Oct 11: Somappa Rayappa Bommai, the former chief minister of Karnataka who passed away on Wednesday, will always be remembered for his long innings in political and social life.
Here are some of the glimpses of his life and career
He was the chief minister of Karnataka state in India. He hailed from Hubli. He was elected to Karnataka Legislative assembly many times from Hubli rural constituency. He was president of All India Progressive Janata Dal Party. He was also union minister in government of India. He played a role in unification (Ekikarna in Kannada) of parts of Karnataka which had been scattered among Mysore kingdom, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency during British rule before Independence.
Life, education and career
Somappa Rayappa Bommai
BA LLB, son of Rayappa Bommai and Shivamma Bommai. Born in Karadigi, Shiggaon taluk of Dharwad District, Karnataka, on June 6, 1924, Educated at Hubli, Dharwad, Belgaum and Bombay University. Married Gangamma on May 30, 1951. Two sons and two daughters.
Social and political Worker. Practised as an advocate for thirty years. Actively participated in movements during college days, such as radical humanist movement, farmers movement, social welfare movement and consumers movement and took interest in the people's movement in the princely States.
Took part in the `Quit India Movement' (1942); became member of Radical Democratic Party since its inception in 1942; played an important role for consolidation of the opposition parties prior to 1977 and thereafter. Played a crucial role in the formation of the Janata Dal and presided over Bangalore Foundation Conference where the Janata Dal was born.
He Was president, Karnataka state Janata Party, 1981-83 and All India Janata Dal, 1990-96. Was vice president, Karnataka state unit of the Janata party. Secretary, All Party Goa Vimochana Samiti, Hubli. Was member, executive committee, All India Janata Dal, political affairs committee, Janata Dal, parliamentary board, Janata Dal, legislative assembly, Karnataka, 1967-71 and 1978-89, legislative council, Karnataka, 1972-78, committee on external affairs, 1993-96 and ethics committee, Rajya Sabha.
Leader of Opposition, legislative council, Karnataka, 1976-78 and legislative assembly, Karnataka, 1978-80. Was cabinet minister, government of Karnataka, holding the portfolios of industries and commerce, finance, revenue, planning and institutional finance and irrigation; sworn in as chief minister, Karnataka, August, 1988. Union minister for human resource development, June, 1996 to March, 1998. Elected to the Rajya Sabha in July, 1992 and re-elected in April, 1998.
List of successive chief ministers of Karnataka (known as Mysore until Devaraj Urs' tenure)
K C Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, S Nijalingappa, B D Jatti, S R Kanthi, Veerendra Patil, D Devaraj Urs, R Gundu Rao, Ramakrishna Hegde, S R Bommai, S Bangarappa, M Veerappa Moily, H D Deve Gowda, J H Patel, S M Krishna, Dharam Singh, H D Kumaraswamy
Earlier report:
Former Karnataka chief minister Bommai passes away
Pics by Aakash Polali - Daijiworld Media Network Bangalore
Bangalore, Oct 10 (IANS): Former Karnataka chief minister S.R. Bommai died at a private hospital here after long illness, his family sources said. He was 81.
The Janata Dal stalwart was the chief minister of the state for a short term from Aug 3, 1988 to April 21, 1989.
State BJP president and Mangalore MP D V Sadananda Gowda and former dyCM Yediyurappa offering tributes to the late Bommai
File pic of state JD(U) president B Somashekhar, former union defence minister George Fernandes and others on a visit to ailing Bommai
The veteran politician was one of the famous quartet of the Janata pariwar in the state along with former Janata Dal chief ministers - Ramakrishna Hegde, H.D. Deve Gowda and J.H. Patel.
Bommai, a native of Hubbali in north Karnataka, was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Hubbali rural constituency. He became the chief minister of Karnataka on August 13, 1988, before being removed from power on April 21, 1989.
Bommai was also the president of the All India Progressive Janatha Dal and a Union minister. Bommai will be remembered for the role he played in the unification of Karnataka when the state was divided into the Mysore kingdom, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency.
Bommai's case was cited by the Union government before imposing President's Rule in Karnataka recently.
When S R Bommai was removed as the chief minister by the governor of Karnataka in 1989 without being given an opportunity to prove his strength on the floor of the House, he had moved the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment, called the S R Bommai case, ruled that no government can be dismissed without being given an opportunity to prove its strength on the floor of the House.
The court in this case also ruled that the House cannot be dissolved unless both Houses of Parliament approve the same.
It was due to the guidelines laid down in this decision that recenlty the House in Karnataka was not dissolved and kept under suspended animation instead.