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Veteran CPI leader S Sudhakar Reddy dies
He is survived by his wife Dr B V Vijayalakshmi and two sons – Nikhil Reddy and Kapil Reddy. “He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Care Hospitals, Gachibowli, where he was admitted for age-related issues and breathing difficulties
Hyderabad: Veteran Communist leader, former national general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), and former MP Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy passed away after prolonged illness in Hyderabad late on Friday night, his family members said. He was 83.
He is survived by his wife Dr B V Vijayalakshmi and two sons – Nikhil Reddy and Kapil Reddy. “He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Care Hospitals, Gachibowli, where he was admitted for age-related issues and breathing difficulties,” a family member said.
His mortal remains were kept at the CPI state office in Hyderabad on Saturday for party workers to pay their last respects. Later, his body will be donated to the Gandhi Medical College.
Rising from student movements to national politics, he served three terms as the national general secretary of the CPI, becoming a prominent Telugu leader in the party. The only other Telugu leader who had risen to the position of national general secretary in the party was Chandra Rajeswara Rao.
Sudhakar Reddy’s father, Suravaram Venkatrami Reddy, was a freedom fighter, and his uncle was the renowned poet and freedom fighter Suravaram Pratap Reddy, who fought against the oppressive feudal system prevailing during the Nizam’s rule.
Sudhakar Reddy belonged to Kanchupadu in Undavalli mandal of Jogulamba Gadwal district. He was born on March 25, 1942, in his grandmother’s village, Kondravupalli of Kodair mandal. He later moved to Kurnool for his education. At the age of 15, he participated in a protest demanding blackboards and books for his school, marking the start of his political activism.
In 1960, he became the Secretary of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) Kurnool town unit, later serving as the district secretary. In 1962, he was the committee secretary for establishing Venkateswara University and led a 62-day strike. In 1964, after completing his B.A. in Kurnool, he was elected President of the college students’ union. He earned his LLB degree from Osmania University’s Law College, Hyderabad, in 1967, and within a week of joining, won the students’ union elections as General Secretary. Soon after, he took over as AISF state secretary.
In 1970, he became the national president of AISF, and in 1972, the national president of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF). From 1974 to 1984, he served as a member of the CPI Andhra Pradesh state executive committee.
In 1988, Sudhakar Reddy was elected as a Member of Parliament from Nalgonda. In 1994, he contested unsuccessfully against then-Chief Minister Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy in Done, Kurnool district. By 2000, he was appointed CPI Andhra Pradesh state secretary and became a member of the national executive committee. He played a key role in the Left parties’ agitation against the hike in electricity tariffs in 2000. In the 2004 general elections, he was re-elected as MP from Nalgonda.
In 2012, during the National Congress in Patna, Sudhakar Reddy was elected CPI General Secretary, a position he retained in 2015 (Puducherry) and 2018 (Kollam). Although his term was until 2021, he resigned on July 24, 2019, due to health reasons.
Sudhakar Reddy played a significant role in the Telangana movement. Initially, the CPI supported the formation of linguistic states and believed that a special package could address Telangana’s problems. However, realising the need for a separate Telangana state, the party changed its stance — a shift in which Sudhakar Reddy played a pivotal role.
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock and extended condolences to the bereaved family.
State irrigation minster and former Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Pradesh Congress Committee president B Mahesh Kumar Goud also condoled his demise.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao also mourned his demise, offering condolences to the family. “Sudhakar Reddy, a son of Telangana soil, dedicated his life to the upliftment of the oppressed classes and earned immense respect as a people’s leader. He played an important role during the Telangana movement,” KCR said, remembering his association with the veteran leader.
CPI Andhra Pradesh unit general secretary K Ramakrishna and Telangana unit president K Sambasiva Rao also condoled Sudhakar Reddy’s death.
