Minister of state for 'settling Jayalalitha's scores'
Even before Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee finalised the composition of his ministry early this week, one name was certain. So also his portfolio.
R K Kumar. The man chosen by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary J Jayalalitha, allegedly to fix her 'enemies' in the Tamil Maanila Congress.
Little wonder then the Union minister of state for finance (insurance and banking) is expected to hog the headlines in the near future, much to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government's discomfort.
A chartered accountant of 30 years standing in the
profession, the 55-year-old minister joined the AIADMK in 1972 when M G Ramachandran started the party. And shot to the limelight in no time.
Such was the controversy generated by the chargesheet he had drafted against the M Karunanidhi government of 1971-76 that he was harassed by the state government. And came the Sarkaria Commission of Inquiry, constituted by the central government, which probed the charges.
As a member of the Rajya Sabha, which he entered in April 1996, he has served the public accounts committee for two
consecutive terms. He was also a member of the standing committee for petroleum and natural gas and the consultative committee of the finance ministry.
A prolific writer in Tamil on politics, economics and travel, Kumar has published four books, including one full-length fiction
based on the Emergency.
Born in Madras, Kumar studied up to senior school-leaving certificate in the Tamil Nadu capital. He did his intermediate in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
Moving to New Delhi in 1963, he worked with a tax consultant. In 1965, he passed his B Com from Kathmandu. He stood first in Tribhuvan University and was awarded a gold medal by King Mahendra of Nepal.
Between 1965 and 1968, he did law at the Delhi University,
after which he started practice in Delhi.
With the sudden death of his father K C Ragavachari, Kumar returned to Madras in 1971, where he continued his CA practice.
His wife Chandini is also a practising chartered
accountant. Kumar has a daughter and son.
Additional reportage: UNI
Elections '98
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