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Balayogi dies in copter crash

The wreckage of the private helicopter after the crash near a fish pond at Kovvadalanka village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. — PTI photo

Hyderabad, March 3
Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi was killed in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh this morning.

The 50-year-old first Dalit Speaker of the Lok Sabha was flying back from Bhimvaram to Hyderabad along with his Additional Private Secretary K. Sattiraju (50) when their chartered helicopter of the Deccan Aviation Service crashed around 7.45 a.m. near Kovvadalanka village in West Godavari district.

The pilot of the helicopter, G.V. Menon (45), was also killed in the crash. Initial reports had said Balayogi’s gunman was also among the dead.

Official sources said the pilot tried to land the helicopter in a field following a technical snag. But the chopper hit a coconut tree and fell on the bundh of a fish tank.

According to the original schedule, Balayogi, was to take a train from Eluru back to Hyderabad after participating in a Christian congregation.

The body of Balayogi, who is the first Lok Sabha Speaker to die while in office, has been brought to Hyderabad to enable leaders to pay their last respects.

A two-day national mourning will be observed as a mark of respect to Balayogi. The decision was taken at a special meeting of the Union Cabinet in New Delhi. The National Flag will fly at half-mast and there would be no official entertainment today and tomorrow, Home Ministry sources said.

The body of the Lok Sabha Speaker will be taken to New Delhi tomorrow to enable Parliamentarians and other leaders to pay the last respects

Later in the evening, the body will be flown to Rajahmundry to be taken to Eedurulanka, the home town of the Speaker, for funeral on Wednesday, the official sources said.

There was a virtual flood of condolences as the nation mourned the sudden and tragic death of another eminent leader after the two Gandhis — Sanjay and Rajiv, P.R. Kumaramangalam, Rajesh Pilot and Madhavrao Scindia. Like today, the end had come on a Sunday for Pilot and Scindia.

The Andhra Pradesh Government will inquire into today’s helicopter crash which claimed the life of the Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said today.

NEW DELHI: The government on Sunday ordered a high-level inquiry into the helicopter crash which killed the Lok Sabha Speaker saying that no in-flight emergency was reported from it.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has appointed a committee of inquiry headed by Lt General A. Natarajan who will be assisted by two technical members, to look into the incident. Agencies

Obituary
Balayogi strived for discipline
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3
Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi, India’s first Dalit Lok Sabha Speaker, was nominated to the post under dramatic circumstances in 1998 in a last minute shift by the TDP from the United Front to support the BJP.

Since then there was no looking back for Balayogi, who was killed this morning in a helicopter crash in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

When Balayogi was elected to the high office of Speaker of the Lok Sabha on March 24, 1998, many had been sceptical about the standard of business in the House, which had been falling over the past few years.

For, apart from being inexperienced, he did not know Hindi which is necessary for controlling a House which often becomes very unruly. Expectedly, many compared him with his predecessor Purno A. Sangma, who had managed to successfully run the House because of his sense of humour and repartee.

A softspoken and mild mannered Balayogi proved everyone wrong by effectively running the business of the Lower House and earning respect from members cutting across party lines for his impartial conduct.

At 47, he was the youngest to become a Lok Sabha Speaker, in the first ever election to the post in 1998, after he was re-elected to the 12th Lok Sabha. In 1999, he was re-elected for a second term as the Lok Sabha Speaker. He became the first member from a regional party to assume the Speaker’s chair.

Balayogi was flown to Delhi from Hyderabad to file his nomination papers minutes before the deadline expired. He strived till the end to bring in discipline and decorum in a House frequently disrupted by unruly behaviour.

Taken by fate at the age of 51, Balayogi made efforts to restore normalcy in Parliament even on his last day in Lok Sabha on Friday, when members angry over the Gujarat violence created an uproar forcing him to adjourn the House.

In fact, the conduct of the House during the sessions in 1998-99 showed that he had come to grips with his onerous task. He represented India at the Inter-Parliamentary Union and was President of its International Group, and presided over both the Indian Parliamentary Group and the India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Balayogi joined politics in 1982 when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was founded. He had also held the position of Chairmanship of the East Godavari Zilla Praja Parishad, and was elected to the Tenth Lok Sabha from Amalapuram in 1991.

Born on October 1, 1951, in Yedurulanka village in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, he completed his degree in law and postgraduation at Andhra University in Vishakhapatnam. A member of the Kakinada Bar Association, he had also practised in the Kakinada Court. He was selected as a First Class Magistrate in 1985 and even underwent training for two months, but resigned to continue his legal practice.

He contested and won the Assembly by-election in September 1996 from Mummidivaram constituency and became the Andhra Minister for Higher Education. During his tenure, he took several new initiatives for strengthening and streamlining the education system in the state.

He was responsible for providing employment to teachers through District Selection Committees. Encouraging students through song, drama and academic competitions was his particular hobby.

Balayogi was known for pursuing the cause of agriculturists and labourers and organised relief and medical camps to help flood and cyclone victims in 1991. He was also active in solving the drinking water problem in rural areas of his state, and for getting employment for legal heirs of the government employees who had died in the natural disaster.

Balayogi had also been involved with the cooperative movement and many rural development projects at his initiative. A feather in his cap was the approval to the construction of the Yanam-Yedurulanka Inter-state Bridge aimed at reducing the road distance by 60 km.

But his interests went beyond this, and he was also interested in sports. He organised district level sports among the Panchayati Raj employees and was the President of the Cricket Association in East Godavari district.

Balayogi was married to Vijaya Kumari and had one son and three daughters.

He will be remembered for ever for keeping intact the prestige attached to Speaker’s post — the fourth highest post in the country after the President, the Vice-President, and the Prime Minister — and striving to maintain rich democratic traditions on which the world’s largest democracy stands.

President, PM condole Balayogi’s death
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3
The President, Mr K .R. Narayanan, Vice-President, Krishan Kant, Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister, L.K Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi, senior political leaders and parliamentarians have expressed deep shock and grief over the sudden demise of Lok Sabha Speaker, G.M.C Balayogi, in a helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Most parliamentarians recalled Balayogi’s impartial stand, impeccable integrity and endeavour to enforce the code of conduct for MPs.

In a condolence message, President K.R. Narayanan said Balayogi’s sudden death was an immense loss to the country. “His influence over the troubled parliamentary politics of our time was constructive and decisive. He was a man of the people with genuine and passionate sympathies for the poor and the deprived.”

Vice-President, Krishan Kant, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said Balayogi set high standards in parliamentary management and was respected for his “knowledge of intricacies of the parliamentary rules and procedures, rational judgments, easy accessibility, ready wit and unfailing courtesy.”

The Prime Minister convened a special meeting of the Union Cabinet after news of Balayogi’s death and said “Balayogi would always be remembered for the able stewardship of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha.”

Mr Vajpayee recalled that a “Lok Sabha disrupted by turmoil would become calm by his efforts and continue with its legislative business.’’

In a resolution adopted at the meeting, the Union Cabinet mourned the death of Balayogi and described him as a “democrat to the core who had an uncanny ability to take every section of the House along.”

The Home Minister who is in Ahmedabad to review the situation in the troubled areas of Gujarat remembered Balayogi as a good Speaker who was very impartial in his dealings.

While conveying sincere and heartfelt condolences to Balayogi’s family members on behalf of the Congress, Mrs Sonia Gandhi said, “He presided over the deliberations of the Lok Sabha with dignified poise, restraint and good humour. He earned respect of the House and his initiatives in bringing orderliness in our deliberations bestowed on him universal respect.” She said that his capacity to iron out differences among various political parties was exceptional.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker and General Secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party, P.A. Sangma remembered Balayogi as a “gentleman Speaker of enormous dignity” who never spared efforts and pains to take the entire House along, despite the nerve-racking differences and disharmonies among various parliamentary parties. Mr Sangma recalled Balayogi’s house management skills and deep concern for the maintenance of dignity and decorum of the House.

Mr Sangma told a TV channel that the real homage to Balayogi would be to follow the code of conduct he set for the House.

Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker P. M. Sayeed said Balayogi set an example of the height to which a Dalit leader could rise in Indian democracy.

Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha Najma Heptulla said Balayogi was “the guardian of Indian Parliament, a custodian of the aspirations of millions of Indians.” In her message, Dr Heptulla said his friendly warmth and generous courtesies towards fellow parliamentarians added to the dignity of his high position.

The Central Committee of the CPM observed a minute’s silence to pay homage to the departed soul. The committee took note of Balayogi’s contribution and conveyed its heartfelt condolences to members of the bereaved family.

Although leader of the CPM in the Lok Sabha Somanth Chatterjee left for Hyderabad this afternoon to attend Balayogi’s funeral, CPM MP in Lok Sabha, Hannan Molah described Balayogi’s demise as a “great loss to our parliamentary democracy.” Molah said Balayogi was very impartial in conducting the proceedings in a House which comprised 43 political parties.

Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora, who is also in charge of Punjab affairs, said as an MP, he was very impressed by Balayogi’s style of functioning. “He was very persuasive and tried to pacify the MPs assuring them that they would be afforded an opportunity to voice their opinion. The code of conduct set by him was a rare example of instilling discipline.”

RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan said Balayogi conducted the proceedings of the House in an impartial and fearless manner and earned the appreciation of all political parties.

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said Balayogi was well-versed in the art of parliamentary procedures. He spoke of the efforts made by Balayogi in strictly enforcing the code of conduct for parliamentarians.

Union Labour Minister Sharad Yadav said Balayogi’s ability to control the divided House with increased number of small political parties would always be remembered in years to come.

Minister of State for Coal and Mines, Bhabesh Jha said Balayogi had endearing qualities and he conducted himself with “impeccable integrity consistent with the norms of parliamentary democracy.”

Himachal Chief Minister Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal remembered Balayogi as the “best parliamentarian who always maintained neutrality and highest traditions of parliamentary democracy.” He said Balayogi had a personal rapport with international parliamentarians.

The Governor of Haryana, Babu Parmanand, and Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala have also expressed grief over the untimely demise of Balayogi. In separate condolence messages, they described Balayogi as an experienced parliamentarian and a great social reformer.

The president of the Youth wing of the Indian National Lok Dal Ajay Chautala said the country had lost a “young dynamic leader and a true leader of Dalits.”