The 68-year-old Minister for Urban Development who is wheelchair bound or uses crutches is one of the livewires of the present cabinet. In 1998, he was awarded the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for his prowess in tackling political debates. Jaipal Reddy was born Madgul, Mahbubnagar district in AP. He has an M.A. from the Osmania University, Hyderabad. He is physically disabled and uses crutches.
Sudini Jaipal Reddy (born 16 January 1942) is a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Miryalguda constituency of Andhra Pradesh and is a member of the Indian National Congress. He is currently the Cabinet Minister of Urban Development. He has an M.A. from the Osmania University, Hyderabad. He is disabled and uses crutches. Between 1969 and 1984 he was an MLA of Kalwakurthy, a constituency in Andhra Pradesh for four terms. He was a member of the Congress Party but quit it to protest against the emergency and joined the Janata Party in 1977. He contested the 1980 Lok Sabha elections unsuccessfully from Medak against Indira Gandhi. He was the general secretary of the Janata Party from 1985 to 1988. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times: the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984 (in alliance with TDP), the 12th in 1998 (again as ally of TDP), the 13th in 1999 (as a member of the Congress Party) and the 14th in 2004 (as a member of the Congress Party). He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha on two occasions, 1990–1996 and 1997–1998. He also held the position of leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha for a year from June 1991 to June 1992. In 1999–2000, he was the Chairman of Committee of privileges. He served as the minister for Information and Broadcasting in the government on two occasions: in 1997–1998 under I. K. Gujral and from 2004 under Manmohan Singh with additional responsibility for Culture. A unique facet of his political career has been that he acted as the spokesman for all the parties of which he has been a member. He is known for the quality of his debates in the parliament and was awarded the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1998.