Parliamentarian par excellence

Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar (4 February 1891 – 19 March 1978) was the first Deputy Speaker and the Second Speaker of Lok Sabha in the Indian Parliament. He was Governor of Bihar also. He was born in Tiruchanoor in Chittoor district of Madras Presidency. Ayyangar was named “Ananthasayanam” after the presiding deity of Travancore. As a child, he would walk to school at Tirupati, 3 km from home.

He first served as a teacher in Mathematics and later became a lawyer. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he joined the non-cooperation movement in 1921. Drawn into the vortex of the freedom struggle, he was arrested several times. During the individual satyagraha movement in 1941 he was imprisoned in Tiruchi jail and he used to read Valmiki Ramayana in shrilled vice to the prisoners.

He was elected to Tirupati Municipal Council in 1922. Over a decade later in 1935, he got into the Central Legislature. He was elected to the first Lok Sabha from Tirupati and to the second Lok Sabha from Chittoor constituencies in 1952 and 1956 respectively. He was elected in 1948 as Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha in 1950 with Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar as the Speaker.

After the death of Mavalankar in 1956, he became the Speaker of Lok Sabha, with the assistance of Govinda Vallabh Pant who used his good offices with Pandit Nehru, the Prime Minister. During the question hour, Ayyangar’s ready wit and humorous answers regaled the House. Whenever he spotted members leaving the House, he would remark, “Why are you all going away, as though some chillies are placed in your seats.”

He would diffuse tension by such a remark as “Hon’ble Members may doze in the House, but they must not snore.” Ayyangar led parliamentary delegations to China and Canberra in 1956 and 1957 respectively. He served as the Governor of Bihar from 1962 to 1967. As a tribute to his memory, a park has been named “Ayyangar Udyan” in Patna.

He was invited to become the chairman of Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeet – an offer which he readily agreed. He was well-versed in Valmiki Ramayana as he was in Pothana’s Bhagavatam in Telugu or Alwar’s Prabandhams in Tamil. Ayyangar built a colony in Tirupati as the President of Kusht Nirvan Sangh and gave solace to the helpless beings.

Little wonder, it was a large crowd of lepers who came to have last look at their saviour on the day Ayyangar passed away on March 19, 1978. Short in stature but lofty in ideals, well-built Ayyangar, with a prominent face and a white and red Tiruchunnam on his broad forehead, was known for his repartees and good humour. Out of all the offices he held, the Speakership was held in high par excellence.

He was contemporary to Prakasam Pantulu and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramaiah. Dr D Srinivasa Ayyangar of the Chittoor Bar Association was with him in jail along with Bakthavatsalam. I read one of the best books of the season, “The Roses in December” written by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Chagla.

T T Krishnamachari, the Finance Minister of India, got involved in the Mundhra Scam and the bone of contention was Rs 1.25 lakh scam; Feroz Gandhi led a frontal attack in the Lok Sabha. Prior to the judgement, Nehru wanted one official dinner to be given to the Speaker by the government when Ayyangar was the Speaker.

He was specially requested by TTK and others to come for the party. Ayyangar was reportedly asked to use his discretion and salvage TTK in that case, but to no avail. Eventually, such was the outcome of the Mundhra scandal that TTK was forced to resign for a trivial reason. (The author is a former Speaker of AP Legislative Assembly)