Remembering Udupi's respected politician VS Acharya on his birth anniversary

Udupi: Karnataka Minister and one of the most respected politicians of Karnataka, Vedavyasa Srinivasa Acharya, was born on July 6, 1940, in Udupi. On his 80th birth anniversary, here’s a look at Acharya’s journey from being the youngest municipal president of Udupi to Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister.

VS Acharya, son of Vidwan Katte Srinivasa Acharya, a Sanskrit scholar and Krishnaveni Amma was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from his childhood.

He started his political career in the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh (the predecessor of the BJP), after finishing his graduation in Medicine from the famous Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.

VS Acharya was first elected as a municipal councilor and then, as president of the Udupi municipal council in 1968 and this was the first-ever victory of the Jana Sangh in an urban municipality in South India.

Following his victory, BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani later remarked that the Jana Sangh victory in the Udupi municipal council in 1968 laid foundation for the BJP rule in South India and particularly in the state of Karnataka.

As the youngest municipal president of Udupi, VS Acharya was hailed for his pro-active role in the development of the town. He remained municipal president for a period of 8 years.

During the Emergency (1975–77), he was imprisoned for a period of 19 months and after being released, he unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Udupi in 1977 and 1980.

Acharya was elected as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Udupi constituency in 1983 and was the floor leader of the BJP Legislature Party.

He had served as minister for Medical Education with additional charge of Animal Husbandry in the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government headed by H.D.Kumaraswamy.

In 2008 he was appointed as the Home Minister in the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa-led BJP government. Later in 2010, he was appointed as the Higher Education minister.

On 14 February 2012, he died of a heart attack when he was participating in a program.