JD faced no fury like Hegde scorned
A suave politician gone bitter at the
treatment by the leadership of the Janata Dal which he had found and
built, Ramakrishna Hegde has played a long innings in politics
right from the grassroot level, first as a Congress worker in the Uttara Kannada
district of Karnataka right till the chief ministership of the state.
Coming from a family of agriculturists who had sacrificed a lot
during the freedom struggle, Hegde has been a preacher of value-
based politics and turned an avenger after he was unceremoniously
expelled from the Janata Dal soon after H D Deve Gowda became the
prime minister.
Involved deeply in a love-hate relationship with Deve Gowda
that saw the popularity curve of the Janata Dal dip till it
reached a new low in the recent Lok Sabha election, Hegde has
found a new ally in the Bharatiya Janata Party, which he had stated was no more
''untouchable''.
Born on August 29, 1927 in Doddamane village in Siddapur taluk
of Uttara Kannada district, Hegde has led a chequered political
career spanning well over 45 years.
Currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, Hegde was picked
at a young age by former chief minister S Nijalingappa in 1957 to
become a minister. The charismatic leader also had an innings as
deputy chairman of the Planning Commission during the prime
ministership of V P Singh.
UNI
Elections '98
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