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B. D. Jatti
B.D Jatti (enhanced).jpg
Acting President of India
In office
11 February 1977 – 25 July 1977
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Morarji Desai
Preceded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Succeeded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
5th Vice President of India
In office
31 August 1974 – 30 August 1979
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh
Morarji Desai
Charan Singh
Preceded by Gopal Swarup Pathak
Succeeded by Mohammad Hidayatullah
9th Governor of Odisha
In office
8 November 1972 – 20 August 1974
Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy
Preceded by Gatikrishna Mishra
Succeeded by Gatikrishna Mishra
Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry
In office
14 October 1968 – 7 November 1975
Chief Minister Hasan Farook
Preceded by Sayaji Laxman Silam
Succeeded by Chhedilal
Chief Minister of Mysore State
In office
16 May 1958 – 9 March 1962
Preceded by Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa
Succeeded by S. R. Kanthi
Member of the Legislative Assembly, Karnataka
In office
26 March 1952 – 12 October 1968
Preceded by Constituency Established
Succeeded by S. M. Athani
Constituency Jamkhandi
Personal details
Born
Basappa Danappa Jatti

(1912-09-10)10 September 1912
Savalagi, Jamakhandi, Bombay Presidency, British India
(present-day Karnataka, India)
Died 7 June 2002(2002-06-07) (aged 9)
Bangalore, Karnataka, India (present-day Bengaluru)
Political party Indian National Congress
Alma mater Rajaram College

Basappa Danappa Jatti (10 September 1912 – 7 June 2002) was an important Indian politician. He served as the fifth Vice President of India from 1974 to 1979. He also became the acting President of India for a few months in 1977. Before these big roles, he was the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Jatti started his political journey as a local town council member and rose to one of the highest offices in India over five decades.

Early Life and Education

B. D. Jatti was born on September 10, 1912, in Savalgi, a village in the Jamakhandi area of Karnataka. He came from a Lingayat family that spoke Kannada. His parents were Dasappa Jatti and Sangamma.

Jatti went to Bijapur Government High School. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rajaram College. Later, he studied law at Sykes Law College in Kolhapur. After finishing his studies, Jatti worked as a lawyer in Jamkhandi. In 1940, he was elected to the Jamkhandi municipality and later became its president.

Start of His Political Journey

Jatti's political career began in 1940 when he joined the Jamkhandi Municipality. By 1945, he was the president of the Jamkhandi Town Municipality. He was then elected to the Jamkhandi State Legislature. He became a minister in the government of the princely state of Jamkhandi.

In 1948, he became the 'dewan' (which means chief minister) of Jamkhandi state. As dewan, he helped the small state join the Indian Union. After Jamkhandi merged with Bombay state on March 8, 1948, he went back to being a lawyer for about 20 months.

Later, Jatti was chosen to be a member of the Bombay State Legislative Assembly. He quickly became a Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister of Bombay, B. G. Kher. After the 1952 elections, he was made the Minister of Health and Labour for the Bombay government. He held this position until the states were reorganized. Jatti wrote an autobiography called I'm My Own Model.

Chief Minister of Mysore State

After the states were reorganized, Jatti became a member of the Mysore State Legislative Assembly. He led a committee that worked on land reforms. This work helped create the 1961 Mysore Land Reforms Act. This law changed how land was owned and used, getting rid of old systems where people rented land or owned large amounts of land they didn't farm themselves.

In 1958, Jatti was chosen to be the Chief Minister of Mysore. He served in this role until 1962. He was re-elected to the Mysore Legislative Assembly in 1962. However, he had to step down as Chief Minister because he no longer had enough support from his party's elected members.

Later Important Roles

After being Chief Minister, Jatti took on several other significant roles. From October 1968 to November 1972, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry.

In November 1972, Jatti was appointed Governor of Orissa. In March 1973, the state government resigned. Even though the opposition leader claimed to have enough support to form a new government, Jatti decided to suspend the assembly session. He then recommended President's rule in the state. This meant the state was governed directly by the President of India, with Jatti helping to administer it. This lasted until March 1974.

Jatti resigned as governor in August 1974 to run for the vice presidential election. He won the election by a large margin. On August 31, 1974, he was sworn in as the Vice President of India.

When President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed passed away on February 11, 1977, Jatti became the acting President of India on the same day. After the ruling party lost the 1977 elections, Jatti asked the outgoing Prime Minister to continue as a temporary leader. He also ended the "Emergency" period in India on March 21, 1977. Jatti then swore in Morarji Desai as the new Prime Minister.

In April 1977, the new government suggested dismissing the governments in several states ruled by the previous party. Jatti thought about it for a day but then agreed. He dismissed the governments in nine states. Jatti was succeeded by Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as President of India on July 25, 1977.

Public Offices Held

  • 1945–48: Minister for Education in the princely state of Jamkhandi
  • 1948: Chief Minister (dewan) of Jamkhandi
  • 1948–52: Parliamentary Secretary in the B. G. Kher Government in Bombay State
  • 1953–56: Deputy Minister for Health and Labour in the Morarji Desai Government in Bombay
  • 1958–62: Chief Minister of Mysore state
  • 1962–68: Cabinet Minister, Government of Mysore
  • 1968–72: Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry
  • 1972–74: Governor of Odisha
  • 1974–79: Vice-President of India
  • Acting President for six months in 1977

Religious Activities

B. D. Jatti was a very religious person. He founded the "Basava Samithi," a religious organization. This group worked to spread the teachings of Basaveshwara, a 12th-century saint and philosopher from the Lingayat community. The Basava Samithi was started in 1964. It has published many books about Lingayatism and the Sharanas (followers of Basaveshwara). It also translated their spiritual poems, called 'vachanas', into many languages. Jatti was also involved in various social work organizations.

Death and Legacy

B. D. Jatti passed away on June 7, 2002. He is remembered as a person who showed what selfless service means. He believed in politics based on strong values. People often called him an "ordinary man with extraordinary thought." This idea even inspired the title of his autobiography, I'm My Own Model. His 100th birth anniversary was celebrated in 2012.

See also

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