N. G. Ranga

Gogineni Ranga Nayukulu, better known as N. G. Ranga (7 November 1900 – 9 June 1995), was an Indian freedom fighter, parliamentarian, and kisan (farmer) leader. He was an exponent of the peasant philosophy, and considered the father of the Indian Peasant Movement after Swami Sahajanand Saraswati.

Ranga was born in Nidubrolu village in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. He went to school in his native village, and graduated from the Andhra-Christian College, Guntur. He received a B.Litt. in Economics from the University of Oxford in 1926. On his return to India, he took up teaching as Professor of Economics at Pachaiyappa's College, Madras (Chennai).

Ranga joined the freedom movement inspired by Gandhi's clarion call in 1930. He led the ryot agitation in 1933. Three years later, he launched the Kisan Congress party. He held historic discussions with Gandhiji on the demand for a rythu-coolie state. He wrote a book, Bapu Blesses regarding his discussions with Gandhi.

Ranga was one of the founders of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers. He represented India at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (Copenhagen) in 1946, the International Labour Organisation (San Francisco) in 1948, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (Ottawa) in 1952, the International Peasant Union (New York City) in 1954 and the Asian Congress for World Government (Tokyo) in 1955.

He quit the Congress Party and founded the Bharat Krushikar Lok Party and the Swatantra Party, along with Rajaji who was a trenchant critic of the cooperative farming idea. Ranga became the founder-president of the Swatantra Party and held that post for a decade. In the general elections held in 1962, the party won 25 seats and emerged as a strong Opposition. He rejoined the Congress (I) in 1972.

Ranga served the Indian Parliament for six decades from 1930 to 1991.He died on 8 June 1995 4.30 pm in his native place Ponnur in Guntur district. Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao condoned the death of Prof. Ranga, the Prime Minister said that in the passing away of Prof Ranga, the country has lost an outstanding Parliamentarian and a champion of public causes and rural peasantry. Prof. Ranga served as a Member of Parliament for a record number of 60 years and found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records .The Andhra Pradesh government declared a 3-day state mourning.

• Agricultural University of Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad (presently in Telangana) is named in his honour and memory as Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University but later it is shifted to Guntur Lam campus from 8 August 2014.
• His name found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as a Parliamentarian with fifty years of service.
• The N.G. Ranga Farmer Award for Diversified Agriculture was instituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2001.
• A commemorative postage stamp was released by Government of India in 2001.
• He was awarded Padma Vibhushan by the President of India in 1991.[1]