Dr. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (born July 8, 1949), popularly known as Y.S.R., is the present Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He is known for his forthright speech and frank approach. Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy hails from Pulivendula, a small town from Cuddapah district of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
Dr.Reddy belongs to the Indian National Congress party and was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Pulivendula Assembly Constituency of Cuddapah District. He has been Chief Minister since May 14, 2004. He served as the leader of the Opposition in the House for the previous term during which N. Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister.
Y.S.R. is a medical science graduate from the M.R. College of Gulbargaa. He did his House-Surgency in Sri Venkateshwara Medical College, Tirupathi. Upon completion of his MBBS degree, he served as Medical Officer in Church of South India's Campbell Hospital in Jammalamadugu in the Diocese of Nandyal for a brief period of time. In 1973 he established a 70-bed charitable hospital at Pulivendula in the name of his father, Sri Y. S. Raja Reddy. The hospital continues to serve the poor to date.
A doctor by profession, Reddy made his debut in politics as a Youth Congress Leader. It is interesting to note that he and his present opponent, TDP President Nara Chandrababu Naidu, made their debut at the same time (1978) in the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly as young legislators of the Congress party. They both worked together as Ministers in Sri. Tanguturi Anjaiah’s cabinet. In fact Sri Chandrababu Naidu acknowledges him as his mentor in politics.
Y.S.R. had an active political career over a quarter of a century and has been representing his party on different fora. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Cuddapah constituency four times, and a similar number of times to the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly, from the Pulivendula constituency. He twice served as the APCC President. He remains one of the very few national politicians who have never lost an election.
Religious background
Reddy is a second-generation Christian. His father, Mr. Raja Reddy, while serving in the military in Burma came across Christian missionaries and although a firm believer in Hinduism soon converted to Christianity. [citation needed]After returning to India, he was despised by his own caste folk and shunted out of the village. By this time, missionaries in India were leaving the shores and handing over the administration of the Church to the national Indians. It was in 1947 that the Church of South India was formed. Sri Raja Reddy began to attend the Church Services of this congregation.
The Church of South India is headquartered in Chennai with dioceses throughout South India. Any one could contact the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari [Machilipatnam-Bishop Rev. G. Dyvasirvadam - also Past Professor in Andhra Christian Theological College - an ecumenical Seminary in Gandhinagar, Hyderabad] or the Diocese of Nandyal [Nandyal-Bishop Rev. G.T. Abraham - also Past Professor in Andhra Christian Theological College, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad] to verify the antecedants as stated.
Sri Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, the brother of Sri Rajasekhara Reddy is a fund-raiser and member of the local committee of the Bible Society of India headquartered in Bangalore with auxiliaries in each state. Likewise, Sri Rajasekhara Reddy's sister is into conducting Bible classes for women. Mr. Rajasekhara's son-in-law is a global evangelist speaker.
Controversy
There have been suspicions voiced by Hindu groups over the alleged biases held by YSR. They say that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has used his position to bring Christian institutions into the decision making loop of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam, which governs Hinduism's most visited shrine and that he may even be facilitating a church to be built on the holy hills of Tirumula. Suspicions were aroused due to a sudden proliferation of churches along the roads leading to the holy shrine and a recent auction of Hindu temple land in Tirumula being hastily called off when it became known that Christian groups were attempting to make a bid.
Reddy belongs to a Protestant evangelical organization.[citation needed] As he belongs to Indian National Congress (INC) whose chief is Roman Catholic Sonia Gandhi, Hindu organisations believe that he is trying to destroy the Hindu religion and Hindu holy places in Andhra Pradesh.[citation needed]
His father Raja Reddy was assassinated by a rival Reddy clan in the ever growing intra-caste Reddy massacres.
