Burgula Ramakrishna Rao (13 March 1899 – 14 September 1967) was the first and last
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
of the erstwhile
Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...
. Prior to the
independence of India
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
and the
political integration of the
princely states into
the Union, he was among the Telugu-speaking leaders to resist the
Nizam in the
princely state of Hyderabad.
He was a multi lingual academic, known for his scholarship in Sanskrit and Telugu. He was also a poet and translator (his works may be cited).
Career
He received famous “Allies” scholarship and graduated in law in Mumbai and took up the legal profession in Hyderabad but continued for a few days only. He was imprisoned twice for participating in public movements. He gave up the law portfolio given by
Mirza Ismail, the
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...
(Prime Minister) of Hyderabad State.
He was one of the founding members of the
Hyderabad State Congress. He presided over the second
Andhra Mahasabha conference at Devarkonda in 1932 and gave direction for Telangana society. He also worked as a secretary for Hyderabad Swadesi League and Nizam Subjects League. He was also involved in promoting the library movement in the State.
He worked as a Revenue Minister in the cabinet of Vellodi government (1950) which was formed after police action. He got victory from Shadnagar constituency in the first sovereign elections held in 1952, and became the first Chief Minister of Hyderabad. After the termination of Nizam rule, in a short period he formed a stable democratic system with his administrative skill. He eradicated the system of jagirdar and mukthedar in Telangana and introduced the law of tenancy and became the first Indian land reformer.
The services of Burgula spread not only in Telangana but also to neighbouring areas. After the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, as a Governor of Kerala state, he showed his statesmanship and got acclaim from many top politicians. When he was Governor of Uttar Pradesh, he was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha in 1962 to 1966.
From November 1956 to July 1960, Dr. Ramakrishna Rao was the Governor of Kerala, and in July 1959 he dismissed the first elected Communist govt. in India, the first time article 356 was used in India. Later he was Governor of Uttar Pradesh till April 1962. He was later elected to the Rajya Sabha in which he served from 1962 to 1966. He died on 14 September 1967.
Personal life
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was married firstly to
Smt. Radha Bai and later to Mrs. Ananthalakshmi Devi and is survived by his son, Burgula Lakshmi Narayana Rao.
His parents were Sri Narsing Rao and Mrs. Ranganayakamma and his younger brother was the late Sri Venkateshwara Rao.
See also
*
1951–52 elections in India
*
List of chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh
The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governor (India), governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' ...
*
List of chief ministers of Telangana
References
External links
*http://www.teluguwebsite.com/Telugu_Pramukhaandhrulu.html
Indian states after 1947 A-L*http://burgulafamily.webs.com/
*http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans/2013-09-19/The-role-of-Burgula-in-Telangana/72201
*https://web.archive.org/web/20161220121445/http://historyawareness.blogspot.in/2015/04/the-role-of-andhra-mahasabha-in.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Burgula Ramakrishna
People from Hyderabad State
Telangana politicians
People from Mahbubnagar district
1899 births
1967 deaths
Politicians from Hyderabad, India
Chief ministers from Indian National Congress
Hyderabad MLAs 1952–1957
Chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh
Prime ministers of Hyderabad State