'It is very difficult to be an honest politician in a country where the system is absolutely corrupt. Jaipal Reddy is one up even on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is considered clean and honest. Reddy has gone a step ahead by playing an active role in stopping corruption. He has put things on record; he has walked the extra mile to ensure that public money is valued highly. One must recognise Reddy's efforts, and make it an example for India's younger generation.'
The shifting of S Jaipal Reddy from the petroleum ministry and elevation of Salman Khurshid on Monday kicked up a political storm with parties suspecting the government of coming under corporate pressure and accusing it of promoting those facing corruption charges.
Describing the Congress veteran as a "symbol of socialism and secularism", Azad said Reddy functioned with utmost integrity.
The 77-year-old was recently diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital, where he died at 1.28 am, a Congress leader said.
The minister clarified that there would be no sealing in Delhi as the Union government has taken care of all the objections raised during the hearings in the Supreme Court.
Over 30 persons were taken into custody at two different places by police when they tried to stop the convoy of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, S Jaipal Reddy, and State Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy who were on their way to Gangirala village in Rangareddy district of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday.
He served as Union minister of information and broadcasting in the IK Gujral government and was allotted different portfolios in the Manmohan Singh government.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Thursday claimed S Jaipal Reddy has paid the price for "defying the country's biggest corporate" by being shifted out of the petroleum ministry and said this exposed "the tentacles of big business in the appointment of ministers".
While Seemandhra simmers with pent-up rage over the division of Andhra Pradesh, supporters of Telangana have started celebrating the fulfilment of their long-cherished dream.
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, S Jaipal Reddy is likely to be the Leader of Lok Sabha and the decision to this effect is likely to be taken on Friday in the core committee meeting. Informal consultations between the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi has already taken place, say highly placed AICC sources.
The Hyderabad police on Monday registered the death of Kiran Reddy, niece of Union Minister for Petroleum S Jaipal Reddy, as murder and would question her husband soon, senior officials said.
Jaipal Reddy, who has been given the science and technology ministry, is deeply upset by his transfer from the petroleum and natural gas ministry and did not come to handover charge to new minister Veerappa Moily.
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy has written to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee demanding a hike in excise duty on diesel cars to make up for subsidised fuel being used in vehicles.
Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of not accepting Mahatma Gandhi as the Father of the Nation and said the party leaders should clarify the issue. "Even today the BJP does not accept Mahatma Gandhi as the father of the nation. Senior BJP leaders should clarify that whether the party considers Mahatma as the father of the nation or not," Reddy said.
Among the documents that Arvind Kejriwal handed out in his press conference on Wednesday, was a page from the letter from the former minister of petroleum and natural gas, S Jaipal Reddy, and marked as annexure 5, to Reliance Industries about its KG Basin oil extraction
Hyderabad, the city which is the bone of contention between Telangana and the rest of Andhra Pradesh in the proposed bifurcation of the state, belongs to all Indians and not to any region in particular, Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy has said.
There is nobody like Jaipal Reddy in Congress party. He is slotted to be the first Congress chief minister of Telangana if and when the Congress gets hold of the reins of power. Ten minutes after the Lok Sabha passed the Bill Reddy spoke exclusively to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt in the corridors of Parliament.
Andhra Pradesh may witness a spell of President's rule in the wake of the resignation of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.
With the Congress high command making up its mind to take disciplinary action against the rebel Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, his camp followers have stepped up their counter attacks.
Global experts last week gave the same forecast.
70-year-old Reddy, who was made the petroleum minister in January 2011, was shifted to the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in the Cabinet reshuffle on October 28.
As part of investigations into the suspicious death of Kiran Reddy, niece of Union Minister for Petroleum S Jaipal Reddy, police on Tuesday began questioning her husband and in-laws.
Amid the row over bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, a Union minister from Seemandhra has met senior Telangana Congress leader and his colleague at the Centre Jaipal Reddy seeking his support for making Hyderabad a Union Territory.
Attacking rebel Congress Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Union Minister and senior party leader from the state S Jaipal Reddy on Saturday said he was violating party discipline and termed his actions as "very undesirable".
The doctor husband of Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy's niece has been arrested by police and booked for murder following her suspicious death. Police said on Wednesday that Chaitanya Reddy allegedly killed 26-year-old Kiran Reddy, also a doctor, in "an inebriated" condition following a heated argument, and that the death four days back was due to "smothering and asphyxiation."
Refusing to be cowed by pressure being brought on him, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Friday said the decision for mining group Vedanta Resources' $9.6 billion buyout of Cairn India will be taken by the Cabinet without "sacrificing" on national interest.
Public sector oil marketing companies currently lose Rs 11.65 per litre on diesel.
"Real estate is facing a slowdown. So we should make an arrangement for giving loans at 6.5 per cent interest for houses in the below Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) category to the poor," Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said. He suggested an extension of housing loan at the rate of 7.5 per cent presently available for flats up to Rs 20 lakh to those priced at Rs 30 lakh in the cities. "The revival of real estate is key for generating employment," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh owes an explanation to citizens on why Jaipal Reddy was shifted as minister of petroleum and natural gas.
Reddy, who moved from urban development to the oil ministry, got down to tackling the task straightaway with a brainstorming session with senior ministry officials on Thursday.
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday rejected senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi's attack on Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of CAG indictment of his ministry for alleged favours to private firms, saying such attacks would harm decision making at higher levels.
The beleaguered organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi met Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, who also heads the group of ministers for Commonwealth Games, but what exactly transpired in the closed-door meeting was not known.
Tata officials on Wednesday met Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy and are believed to have raised, among other things, the issue of the Rs 1,600 crore DTH venture they have entered into along with the Star Group.
Still battling the fallout of last month's steep Rs 7.54 a litre hike in petrol price, the government on Friday said it is not considering raising rates of diesel, domestic gas (LPG) and kerosene for the moment.
Empowered group of ministers on fuel pricing was likely to meet soon.
State-owned Indian Oil Corp and GAIL Ltd are looking at picking up an equity stake in LNG projects in Africa to meet growing energy needs of the country, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy said on Friday.
Geo-political reasons are to be blamed for spike in global oil prices, he says.
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