J. Vengala Rao

J. Vengala Rao was a political leader of Andhra Pradesh who later represented Khammam in the Lok Sabha.¹ He was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1973 to 1978.¹ He took office soon after the Six-Point Formula of 1973 was agreed.¹²

The official records name him J. Vengala Rao or J. Vengal Rao.³¹ Most of this page comes from the Lok Sabha’s obituary reference (a tribute read in the House after a death) of October 1999.¹

Early years and the state assembly, 1947–1973

According to the obituary reference, he was imprisoned twice during what it calls the Hyderabad liberation struggle of 1947–48.¹ He was a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1962 to 1978.¹ He was the state’s Home Minister from 1969 to 1971.¹ In 1972–73 he was Minister for Industries.¹

During the Telangana agitation of 1969, several leaders of the state met the Prime Minister in April.³ A Home Ministry answer in the Lok Sabha names J. Vengala Rao among them.³ The others it names include K. V. Ranga Reddi, Konda Lakshman Bapuji and G. Latchanna.³

Chief Minister, 1973–1978

President’s rule in Andhra Pradesh ended on 10 December 1973.⁴ The Home Minister told the Lok Sabha that a ministry was formed at once.² He said the new ministry fully supported the Six-Point Formula.² It asked the Central Government to amend the Constitution as the formula proposed.²

The obituary reference says that Vengala Rao was Chief Minister from 1973 to 1978.¹ It does not give the exact date on which he took office.¹

In the Lok Sabha, 1984–1991

He was a member of the Eighth and Ninth Lok Sabhas, for the Khammam constituency, from 1984 to 1991.¹ He was Union Minister of Industries from 1986 to 1989.¹ He went abroad with several Indian parliamentary delegations, among them to the USA, England and Japan.¹

He died at Hyderabad on 12 June 1999, at the age of 77.¹

Footnotes

1. Lok Sabha Debates, 25 October 1999, obituary references, PDF pp. 2–3 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

2. Lok Sabha Debates, 18 December 1973, speech of the Home Minister on the Constitution (Thirty-third Amendment) Bill, cols. 217–218 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Lok Sabha Debates, 25 July 1969, written answer to Starred Question 128, cols. 33–34 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Lok Sabha Debates, 10 December 1973, “Revocation of Proclamation in relation to the State of Andhra Pradesh”, col. 335 (archive.org↗ (opens in a new tab)). The printed text dates the Proclamation “10th December, 1972”, a slip for 1973: it was published in the Gazette of India of 10 December 1973. ↩