Balayogi: A contented lawyer-turned-speaker

visakhapatnam:“i dreamt of becoming a doctor, but could not. later, i studied m a (public administration) contemplating becoming a lecturer, but could not do so. thinking that i was suitable for the post of a judge, i studied law, but i had to contend myself with being a prosecutor. i never thought i would be elevated to the post of the speaker of the lok sabha.� these were the words of g m c balayogi at a felicitation four years ago at andhra university law college.the untimely death of balayogi has left his seniors, contemporaries and associates in vizag in a state of shock. “we cannot digest the fact that he is no more,� rajya sabha member and a junior to balayogi in andhra university, y lakshmi prasad said. he said when the speaker had come to the au law college to attend the felicitation function in august 1998, balayogi went straight to satdharma sadhana hostel’s room no 26 where he stayed during his studies. he went to his principal’s room and spent some time there.he showed keen interest in recalling his college days and enquired the whereabouts of his college mates before he attended the function. recalling balayogi’s concern towards people, lakshmi prasad said,“we both were travelling on the same flight from new delhi on february 26. balayogi went to kakinada mp mudragada padmanabham sitting in the rear row to enquire about the health of padmanabham’s wife. he was so simple and affectionate.� balayogi had a special attachment with vizag city not only during his college days but also during his political career. he was instrumental in sorting out the problems of the administration and the state government regarding procurement of land from the vizag port trust for converting it into an international airport. “balayogi was a student of andhra university during 1976-81. he was quite and calm going. balayogi was never active and used to be neutral when it came to to college politics,� said t appa rao, professor at a u law college.“he was very affectionate and knew all his college-mates and professors by name,� the professor added. several parliament members, ministers and political and non-political leaders expressed anguish over the death of the lok sabha speaker on sunday. “balayogi’s contribution to the state is uncountable. his death is an irreparable loss to the nation as well as to the state,� forests minister ch ayyanna patrudu said. tribal welfare minister m mani kumari recalling balayogi’s services to the state said, “beginning from janmabhoomi inter-city express between vijayawada and vizag to the modernisation of airport, his contribution is countless.� anakapalle mp ganta srinivasa rao was inconsolable when the news was broken to him. recalling his association with balayogi, srinivasa rao said he never came across such a simple and affectionate personality in politics. mayor rajana ramani said balayogi was an example of a sincere, simple and committed village-level leader’s rise to the top ranks of indian polity. government whip gadde babu rao, girijan co-operative corporation chairman g nagesh recalled their association with the departed leader. “i am in a state of disbelief,� said karanam balaram, ongole mp, on hearing the speaker’s death. minutes before leaving for hyderabad, he told the times of india that balayogi’s demise was not only a personal loss to him but to the whole of prakasam district.the district is indebted to him as he took the initiative and saw to it that the district received all the promised development schemes from the centre. “balayogi always paid special attention to the problems of the farmers and had a bright future. his death is a blow to the farming community. he was a likely presidential candidate in the next election. according to me, balayogi stands next only to b r ambedkar and babu jagjeevan ram in the country,� he said. guntur mp y v rao was among the first leaders from here to rush to eluru immediately after receiving the news. balayogi was instrumental in sanctioning many development works to all the coastal districts, he said. in warangal, leaders of all political parties mourned balayogi’s death. the district unit of the telugu desam party held a condolence meeting at the guest house of the roads & buildings department soon after the news of the crash was received. irrigation minister kadiyam srihari said the death of balayogi was an irreparable loss to the country. tdp leaders representing various mandals paid rich tributes to the deceased leader. they said balayogi was the first dalit speaker who won the hearts of all mps in a short time. he was known as a tough but soft-spoken presiding officer who never lost his cool even in the most trying circumstances while conducting the proceedings of the lok sabha. congress and left-wing party leaders expressed their shock and dismay over the incident.