Vedavyasa Srinivasa Acharya (6 July 1940 – 14 February 2012) was an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
senior leader of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
(BJP) in
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. He was the Higher Education Minister in the
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
.
Early life
V.S. Acharya was born on 6 July 1940 in
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
in a traditional Shivalli Madhwa Brahmin family. His parents were Vidwan Katte Srinivasa Acharya, a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
scholar & Smt. Krishnaveni Amma. After finishing his graduation in Medicine from the famous
Kasturba Medical College
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in coastal Karnataka, India, established in 1953.Manipal, he started his medical profession by opening a private clinic in Kalmadi,
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
and earned fame as a good physician in the town. He married a fellow social worker Dr.Shanta Acharya and the couple had 4 sons and 1 daughter.
Political career
Having been associated with the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...
from his childhood. He started his political career in the erstwhile
Bharatiya Jana Sangh
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) (ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the pol ...
, the predecessor of the BJP. He was first elected as a municipal councillor and then, as president of the Udupi municipal council in 1968. This was the first ever victory of the
Jana Sangh
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) ( ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...
in an urban municipality in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
. The BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani later remarked that the Jana Sangh victory in the Udupi municipal council in 1968 laid foundation for the BJP rule in South India and particularly in the state of Karnataka. As the youngest municipal president of Udupi, he was hailed for his pro-active role in the development of the town. He remained municipal president for a period of 8 years and the Swarna river water supply system, Under ground drainage system, Town roads widening etc.were some of his achievements during this period. Under his presidency Udupi Municipality in 1968 became first in nation to ban carrying night soil by humans.
During the Emergency (1975–77), he was imprisoned for a period of 19 months. After being released, he unsuccessfully contested the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
elections from Udupi in 1977 and 1980. He was elected as a member of the
Karnataka Legislative Assembly
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses ar ...
from Udupi constituency in 1983 and was the floor leader of the BJP Legislature party. He was a Member of the
Karnataka Legislative Council
The Karnataka Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Karnataka state in South Western India. Karnataka is one of the six states in India, where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses: the Leg ...
from 1996 until his death.
In the BJP-
Janata Dal (Secular)
The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by the ...
coalition government headed by
H.D.Kumaraswamy
Haradanahalli Deve Gowda Kumaraswamy, (born 16 December 1959) known among followers as Kumaranna (''Kumar, the elder brother''), is an Indian politician and businessman who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 23 May 2018 to 23 J ...
, he was Cabinet minister for Medical Education with additional charge of Animal Husbandry. Following the historic victory of the BJP in Karnataka in the 2008 state assembly elections, he was appointed the Home minister in the Yeddyurappa government. He was considered as the second most important leader of the government after the Chief minister and was also the Leader of the House in the legislative council. As home minister, he was credited with the streamlining of administration and modernising of the police force in the state. Later, he was appointed the Higher Education minister in 2010.
Acharya was one of the most senior leaders of the BJP in Karnataka and as such, played an important role in the growth of the party in the state. He was president of the
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...
district unit of the Jana Sangh (1974–77),
Janata Party
The Janata Party ( JP, lit. ''People's Party'') was a political party that was founded as an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the Emergency that was imposed between 1975 and 1977 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Indian Nati ...
(1977–80) and BJP (1980–83). Also, he played a major role in the formation of the
Udupi district
Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven taluks, ...
in 1998. Known for his honesty, simplicity, dedication, wit and hard work, the soft-spoken Acharya was widely respected in the BJP and across party lines. As a loyal worker of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family" ...
, he remained committed to the ideology and discipline of the organisation and inspired thousands of BJP workers and leaders.
Death
He died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
on 14 February 2012. He was participating in a program when he suddenly collapsed. He died on the way to the hospital.
The Chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda described him as the conscience keeper of the BJP Government. Various other leaders like
L.K. Advani
Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...
and B.S. Yeddyurappa paid homage to him and praised the services rendered by Acharya to the party and the state.