Party Name : Indian National Congress
Constituency : Lakshadweep-ST
State : Lakshadweep
Member Experience : Elected to Loksabha 10 time
Last Loksabha Attended : 13
Father's Name : Late Shri A.B. Atta Koya Thangal
Mother's Name : Smt. Umma Bi
Date of birth : 10 May 1941
Profession : Advocate Social Worker
Positions held :
1967 Elected to 4th Lok Sabha1967-71 Member, Committee on Public Undertakings1968-69 Member, Joint Committee on Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition), Bill, 19671969-70 General-Secretary, All India Youth Congress1971 Re-elected to 5th Lok Sabha (2nd term)1971-72 Member, Committee on Petitions1971-74 Member, Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament1972-73 Member, Joint Committee on Companies (Amendment) Bill, 19721972-75 Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Communications1973 Member, Joint Committee on Constitution (Thirty-Second Amendment) Bill, 1973 on Amendment in Ninth Schedule of the Constitution1973-74 Treasurer, Parliamentary Forum for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes1974-76 Member, Committee on Government Assurance1976-77 Member, Consultative Committee constituted under Tamil Nadu State Legislature (Delegation of Powers) Act, 19761977 Re-elected to 6th Lok Sabha (3rd term)1977-79 Member, Committee on Government Assurances1979-80 Union Minister of State, Steel, Coal and Mines1980 onwards Member, Lakshadweep Territorial Congress Committee1980 Re-elected to 7th Lok Sabha (4th term)1984 Re-elected to 8th Lok Sabha (5th term)1984-86 Member, Joint Committee on Shipping Agents (Licensing), Bill1984-88 Member, Committee on Estimates1985-86 Member, Joint Committee on Offices of Profit1986 onwards Member, All India Congress Committee (Indira)[A.I.C.C.(I)]1989 Re-elected to 9th Lok Sabha (6th term)1990-91 Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Communications1990-91 Member, Joint Committee on Offices of Profit1990-96 Member, Rules Committee1991 Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (7th term)1991-92 Member, General Purposes CommitteeMember, Panel of Chairmen1991-93 Member, Joint Committee on the Constitution (Seventy-Second Amendment) Bill, 1991Secretary, Congress Parliamentary Party (Indira)[C.P.P.(I)]1991-95 Member, Committee on Official Language1992-93 Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Surface Transport1992-94 Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee to Enquire into Irregularities in Securities and Banking Transactions1993-95 Union Minister of State, Home Affairs1995-96 Union Minister of State, Information and Broadcasting1996 Re-elected to 11th Lok Sabha (8th term)1996 onwards Deputy Chief-Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party1996-97 Member, Panel of Chairmen1996-97 Member, Committee on Transport and Tourism1998 Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (9th term)17 Dec. 1998-99 Deputy Speaker, Lok SabhaChairman, Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of ParliamentChairman, Committee on Private Members`Bills and ResolutionsChairman, Committee on Budget of Lok SabhaChairman, Library CommitteeMember, General Purposes CommitteeMember, Business Advisory CommitteeMember, Committee on Home AffairsMember, Committee on Transport and Tourism1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (10th term)27 Oct.1999- 6 Feb. 2004 Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha (Second term)24 Dec. 1999 - 2004 Member, Congress Working CommitteeChairman, Library CommitteeMember, General Purposes CommitteeChairman, Committee on Private Members` Bills and Resolutions
More Information :
Literary, Artistic & Scientific Accomplishments
Knows eight languages, viz. English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Tulu and Beary Basa
Social And Cultural Activities
Associated with various social and cultural activities of Lakshadweep; instrumental in conducting inter -state cultural programmes, Lakshadweep festivals in various places and promoting folk arts Parichakkali, Kolkali and Lava dances, etc
Special Interests
Social Work, labour welfare, upliftment of the poor, the downtrodden and the people belonging to minorities;
Favourite Pastime and Recreation
Reading, music, public service and computer network
Sports and Clubs
Football, badminton and chess
Countries Visited
Widely travelled (30 countries); Member, Indian Delegation to the 24th Session, UN General Assembly, 1969; and 36th Session, UN General Assembly, 1982; represented India at U.N. Special Session on Minicoy Islands 1977; Leader, Goodwill Delegation to erstwhile G.D.R., 1970; Member (i) Indian Parliamentary Delegation to 59th I.P.U. Conference, Paris, 1971; Lome (Togo), 1985; Moscow (former U.S.S.R.), 1988; and to 100th I.P.U. Conference, Moscow, 1998 (ii) International Solidarity Conference of World Peace Council, Basel, Switzerland, 1979; (iii) Government of India Haj Delegation, 1988 and its Leader, 1993; (iv) Indian Delegation to Non-aligned Youth Conference, Algiers; and represented A.I.C.C. (I) to Baghdad on the occasion of Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Arab Baath Socialist Party; Indian Delegation to SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference, Pakistan and India-China Friendship Society Delegation to China; Led the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to the 3rd International Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities: Tourism Policy Makers in the 21st Century, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 2000
Other Information
Chairman, Advisory Board, Non-aligned Congress of Youth; Member (i) Central Haj Committee, 1968-70; (ii) Central Haj Advisory Board, 1970-71; (iii) National Welfare of Seafares Board, 1974-77; (iv) Island Development Authority, 1984-88; and (v) Court, Jamia Millia Islamia, since 1990
