Nayani narasimha reddy biography of michael

Hyderabad: 80-year-old veteran trade union leader and first home minister of the Telangana state Nayani Narasimha Reddy passed away in the wee hours of Thursday due to post-COVID complications at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

He is survived by wife Ahalya Reddy, son Devender Reddy and daughter Samantha Reddy.

He continued as honorary president of Hindu Mazdoor Sangh till his death.

Nayani took an active part in the separate Telangana movement between 1969 and 1971, which claimed over 400 lives. He won as MLA from TRS Party in 2014 Elections. He joined Telangana Rashtra Samithi after K. Chandrashekhar Rao launched the party in 2001 and has been one of the key leaders in the movement.

He was a Cabinet Minister of Technical Education in Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's Cabinet from 2005 to 2008 in Government of Andhra Pradesh. He served as the first Home Minister of Telangana from 2014 to 2018.[2] He also took charge of portfolios including Prisons, Fire Services, Sainik Welfare, Labour and Employment. He took to active politics in Hyderabad as he had migrated to Hyderabad in the 1970s.

He served as a minister for technical education during the YS Rajasekhar Reddy government in which the TRS was a coalition partner but he quit the post after the TRS walked out of the alliance.

After the formation of Telangana, Reddy became the first home minister in the cabinet. Reddy's formal education concluded with the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), with no record of advanced degrees or higher studies.^[6] This practical educational path aligned with the realities of rural life, prioritizing hands-on experience over theoretical academia and shaping an early worldview grounded in local economic and cultural challenges.

Political beginnings

Trade union leadership

After migrating to Hyderabad in the 1970s, Nayini Narsimha Reddy emerged as a labor union leader, initially focusing on worker grievances in the VST Industries, where he advocated for improved conditions amid the post-independence industrial expansion in Telangana.^[1] His efforts addressed tangible issues such as wage stagnation and workplace safety, reflecting a pragmatic approach to labor advocacy in an era when industrial growth often outpaced worker protections.^[7]Reddy co-founded the Telangana state unit of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), a central trade union federation rooted in democratic socialist principles that sought to provide non-communist representation for workers, distinguishing itself from the ideologically driven Marxist unions dominant in the region.^[1][7] Under HMS, he prioritized outcome-oriented campaigns, including interventions in wage disputes and safety protocols, while countering the politicization of unions that subordinated worker welfare to broader ideological agendas.^[7] This approach aimed to foster empirical protections, such as negotiating fair remuneration tied to productivity metrics rather than revolutionary rhetoric.As an HMS leader, Reddy extended his influence to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), where he mobilized workers for reforms emphasizing practical gains like hazard mitigation and equitable pay scales, thereby strengthening moderate union presence in key mining sectors.^[7] His national-level involvement in HMS further underscored a commitment to decentralized, worker-centric organizing that avoided the class-war framing prevalent in left-leaning federations, promoting instead collaborative dispute resolution backed by economic data.^[7]

Involvement in the Telangana statehood movement

Nayani Narasimha Reddy took an active role in the 1969 Telangana agitation, the initial major push for separate statehood that arose from grievances over economic disparities and administrative inequities following the 1956 merger of Hyderabad State with Andhra.^[7] Participants, including Reddy, protested against imbalances in resource allocation, such as irrigation development where Telangana's share of projects under the Krishna and Godavari basins lagged significantly behind coastal Andhra despite legal safeguards like the Mulki Rules limiting non-local employment.^[2] These efforts highlighted empirical indicators of neglect, including lower per capita investment in infrastructure—Telangana received approximately 20% less funding for irrigation between 1956 and 1969 compared to Andhra's coastal districts—and employment quotas favoring outsiders, which fueled demands for decentralized governance to address centralized inefficiencies.^[8]Reddy's participation involved street protests and advocacy against these perceived violations of the 1956 Gentlemen's Agreement, which promised equitable development but was not fully implemented, leading to over 300 deaths in clashes with authorities during the agitation's peak from November 1968 to June 1969.^[8] He faced multiple imprisonments for his involvement between 1969 and 1971, reflecting a commitment to non-violent but persistent agitation rather than armed separatism.^[8] A supporter of Telangana's distinct administrative identity since the merger era, Reddy's early actions emphasized pragmatic arguments for regional autonomy based on verifiable underinvestment, such as the completion rate of only 13 out of 29 promised irrigation projects in Telangana by the late 1960s.^[9]In the pre-2014 phases of the movement, Reddy sustained advocacy through electoral and legal channels, critiquing unified governance for perpetuating imbalances like the 70:30 Andhra-Telangana skew in state civil service jobs observed in the 1960s.^[3] This approach prioritized evidence-based critiques of resource diversion over unsubstantiated narratives, aligning with broader calls for fiscal federalism to mitigate cultural and economic dilution in Telangana's inland regions.^[1]

Rise in Telangana politics

Affiliation with Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Nayini Narasimha Reddy aligned with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) upon its founding in April 2001 by K.

Chandrashekar Rao, viewing the party as an effective platform to advance long-standing Telangana statehood demands through organized political agitation rather than reliance on national parties.^[1] As a founder member, he shifted from prior brief involvement with the Telugu Desam Party in the late 1990s to focus on TRS's regionalist agenda, prioritizing cadre-driven expansion over personality-centric appeals.^[9]Reddy contributed to TRS's internal strengthening by drawing on his trade union leadership experience with the Hind Mazdoor Sabha to engage workers and local networks, fostering a resilient organizational base less susceptible to co-option by Congress or other national entities.^[1] His efforts emphasized systematic recruitment and mobilization in urban and industrial areas like Hyderabad, helping sustain the party's momentum amid fluctuating alliances and internal debates over strategy.^[10]Reddy's seniority within TRS bolstered the party's pivot from protest politics to governance preparation, particularly in supporting the strategic push that culminated in the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act enabling Telangana's formation on June 2, 2014.

However, he was admitted to the hospital again on October 13, as he continued to suffer from pneumonia and other health issues. However, some Andhra-origin residents in Telangana critiqued TRS dynamics under Rao for perceived regional favoritism in cadre selection and resource allocation, though Reddy's labor-focused outreach aimed to broaden the party's appeal beyond core Telangana identity politics.^[2]

Legislative positions and party roles

Nayani Narasimha Reddy was nominated to the Telangana Legislative Council as a Member of Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor's quota on June 20, 2014, a move that enabled the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to place seasoned loyalists in the upper house without requiring direct public election.^[11] This nomination, cleared by Governor E.

S. L. Narasimhan, complemented Reddy's concurrent role as Home Minister and ensured continuity for TRS dominance in legislative oversight amid the nascent state's formation challenges.^[12] He took oath as MLC on June 23, 2014, alongside fellow TRS figure Ramulu Naik.^[13] The governor's quota provision, limited to one-twelfth of the council's strength, strategically bolstered the party's upper house presence with unelected members experienced in Telangana advocacy.^[13]In the Legislative Council, Reddy participated in debates on state governance, drawing on his prior elected experience as a three-time MLA from Musheerabad constituency to represent TRS positions.^[3] His interventions often countered opposition critiques, such as those on urban infrastructure like traffic management, where he clashed with Congress leaders in 2017 sessions.^[14] This unelected role amplified TRS's legislative strategy by providing a platform insulated from assembly electoral cycles, allowing focus on defending the party's post-statehood agenda against accusations of mismanagement.^[14]As a founding member of TRS since 2001 and senior party leader, Reddy's council tenure supported broader organizational efforts, including rallying support for Telangana-specific resource claims from the central government during bifurcation negotiations.^[3] His positions reinforced party cohesion, using empirical references to state formation gains—like enhanced fiscal devolution under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014—to rebut opposition charges of favoritism.^[8] Reddy held the MLC seat until its term's end in mid-2020, shortly before his death.^[4]

Ministerial tenure

Appointment and responsibilities as Home Minister

Nayani Narasimha Reddy was appointed as the first Home Minister of Telangana following the state's formation on June 2, 2014, as part of Chief Minister K.

Chandrashekar Rao's cabinet.^[1] He assumed charge of the Home portfolio on June 5, 2014, marking the beginning of efforts to establish independent internal security frameworks distinct from the residual Andhra Pradesh administrative systems.^[15]In addition to the Home department, Reddy's responsibilities encompassed prisons, fire services, Sainik welfare, labour, and employment, reflecting the multifaceted demands of state-building in a newly bifurcated region.^[6] His core duties involved directing the TelanganaState Police for law enforcement and public order, managing correctional facilities, and coordinating disaster response mechanisms amid the administrative bifurcation process stipulated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.^[10]During this transitional period, Reddy oversaw the integration of policing structures tailored to Telangana's regional needs, including measures to mitigate persistent security challenges such as naxalite activities in rural districts, which stemmed from longstanding agrarian unrest and underdevelopment.^[4] Initial administrative actions under his purview included preparatory reorganizations for enhanced governance efficiency, such as evaluating district boundaries to improve policing coverage and resource allocation in the 10 initial districts.^[1]

Key policies, achievements, and criticisms

As Home Minister, Nayani Narasimha Reddy prioritized stabilizing law and order in the newly formed Telangana state, claiming significant improvements following the Telangana Rashtra Samithi's assumption of power in 2014.^[16] He emphasized effective policing as essential for development, initiating efforts to streamline the police system, including plans to install 10,000 CCTV cameras across Hyderabad for enhanced surveillance.^[17] These measures contributed to his assertion in March 2016 that the overall law and order situation remained under control.^[18]Reddy addressed residual Naxalite threats by asserting the absence of active Maoist presence in Telangana as early as June and December 2014, attributing this to proactive implementation of grievances such as land distribution to the landless and increased pensions for senior citizens, which undercut insurgent support.^[19][20] Complementary data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal indicates 536 Naxalite arrests in Telangana since June 2014, alongside limited violent incidents totaling six killings with 18 fatalities (three civilians and 15 others), reflecting a low baseline of activity post-state formation that aligned with his claims of stabilization through grievance redressal and police attitudinal shifts observed during tours of former strongholds in 2015.^[21][22]In administrative reforms, Reddy supported the 2016 district reorganization, which expanded Telangana from 10 to 31 districts and necessitated 86 new police stations to bolster local responsiveness and governance.^[23] He also oversaw police upgrades, including hi-tech surveillance initiatives and a planned Hyderabadpolice control center by late 2017 to enable "friendly policing" via technology.^[24][25] These efforts were framed as countermeasures to pre-statehood inefficiencies, with Reddy highlighting police reforms over three years by 2017 that modernized the force.^[26]Criticisms of Reddy's tenure centered on the district reorganization, with opposition parties, including Congress, decrying it as poorly planned; Reddy dismissed these as "cheap comments" in October 2016, defending the changes as necessary for effective administration.^[27] Detractors argued the rapid expansion led to administrative strains, though empirical outcomes included expanded policing infrastructure without evidence of heightened disorder.^[23] No widespread claims of over-centralization or favoritism in postings were substantiated beyond partisan rhetoric, and comparisons to the undivided Andhra Pradesh era underscored gains in localized control, particularly along borders, amid overall national declines in left-wing extremism post-2014.^[28]

Controversies

2015 public altercation

On June 15, 2015, during a public meeting in Telangana, Home Minister Nayini Narsimha Reddy was filmed engaging in physical contact with P.

Vijaya Reddy, daughter of Congress leader P. Janardhan Reddy, amid heated arguments.^[29] Video evidence depicted Reddy pushing or slapping her face twice before she exited the stage in tears.^[30] The confrontation arose in the context of escalating tensions between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition Congress, fueled by critiques of the nascent state's governance shortly after its formation in 2014.^[30]Vijaya Reddy, reported as a TRS affiliate at the time despite her father's opposition ties, later refuted assault claims, stating Reddy had intervened to calm her during a dispute with another attendee rather than aggressing.^[31] No formal FIR or legal proceedings were initiated against Reddy, though the footage circulated widely, amplifying partisan divides.^[32]TRS backers portrayed the episode as an impulsive retort to perceived slights against Telangana's sovereignty by detractors, emblematic of raw regional loyalties in the post-statehood era.

In October 2020, Reddy was hospitalized with symptoms of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. He was the Senior Labour Leader in Telangana. Chandrashekar Rao expressed shock and recalled Nayini Narsimha Reddy's longstanding association with him during the Telangana statehood movement and subsequent governance efforts, highlighting his role as a steadfast party loyalist.^[41]Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders, including Working President K.T.

Rama Rao, paid tributes on Reddy's 85th birth anniversary on May 12, 2025, at Telangana Bhavan, emphasizing his resignation from the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy cabinet in 2009 to support Rao's statehood agitation and his prioritization of workers' rights as a founder of the state Hind Mazdoor Sabha unit.^[42]K.T.

The hospital promptly notified his immediate family and Telangana Rashtra Samithi associates, with arrangements for state honors in recognition of his prior public service role.^[4][39]

Tributes, impact, and historical assessment

Following his death on October 22, 2020, TelanganaChief MinisterK. on October 22, 2020.

He moved to Hyderabad in 1962 and started taking part in trade union movements, starting with Vazir Sultan Tobacco (VST) Company at Ram Nagar. His health deteriorated and had been on a ventilator since then.