Kishan Reddy Remembers VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Birth Anniversary
Synopsis
Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy marked the birth anniversary of former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, remembering him as a visionary statesman and grassroots champion who shaped BJP's history in Rajasthan.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy , Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP Telangana president, paid tribute to former VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on his birth anniversary.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat served as the 11th Vice President of India from 2002 to 2007 .
Shekhawat was a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan , renowned for grassroots mobilisation and public service.
Kishan Reddy described him as a 'visionary statesman and champion of the grassroots.' The tribute reflects the BJP's regular practice of commemorating senior figures to reinforce party history and continuity.
On the birth anniversary of former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy paid tribute on Friday, October 23, honouring a man whose political journey from the villages of Rajasthan to Raisina Hill remains one of the BJP's defining stories.
From Rajasthan's grassroots to the Vice President's chair
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat served as the 11th Vice President of India from 2002 to 2007, a tenure that capped decades of relentless ground-level work across Rajasthan. Long before he reached Delhi, Shekhawat was synonymous with the BJP's expansion in the state — a politician who built loyalty not through patronage alone but through an unusually direct connection with ordinary voters. His admirers within the party often described him as the original 'grassroots statesman', a label Kishan Reddy's tribute pointedly echoes.
A BJP tradition of keeping its history alive
The tribute is part of a broader pattern within the Bharatiya Janata Party: senior leaders mark the birth and death anniversaries of the party's founding figures and former office-bearers as a way of threading the present generation into a longer institutional story. For Kishan Reddy — who wears two hats as a Union Minister and BJP Telangana state president — invoking Shekhawat carries a particular resonance. The message of grassroots connect travels as clearly to BJP workers in Hyderabad and Warangal as it does to those in Jaipur.
Point of View
Where the BJP is working to deepen its base, it signals the kind of ground-up political identity the state unit aspires to project. Shekhawat's trajectory from rural Rajasthan to the Vice Presidency remains a compelling internal narrative about what the party believes is possible through persistent local work.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Bhairon Singh Shekhawat?
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was the 11th Vice President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007. He was a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan widely known for his decades of grassroots political work across the state.
When is Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's birth anniversary?
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's birth anniversary falls on October 23, marked annually by BJP leaders and party workers.
Why did G. Kishan Reddy pay tribute to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat?
As Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP Telangana state president, G. Kishan Reddy paid tribute on Shekhawat's birth anniversary, calling him a visionary statesman whose contributions to public service and nation-building continue to inspire the party.
What role does G. Kishan Reddy hold currently?
G. Kishan Reddy is the Union Minister of Coal and Mines in the Government of India and also serves as the president of the BJP's Telangana state unit.
