Thousands Pay Homage To Comrade VN

 M Venugopala Rao

A glimpse of Comrade VN's last journey in Nalgonda town

THOUSANDS of people participated in the last journey of Comrade Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy, central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and revolutionary hero of the Telangana peasants’ armed struggle, and paid homage to the beloved leader. On December 6, Comrade VN’s last journey started at 11 am from Doddi Komarayya Bhavan, the Nalgonda district headquarters of the CPI(M), with thousands of people, leaders of different political parties and people’s representatives participating in it. Artists of Praja Natya Mandali were in the forefront of the procession, playing music and singing songs paying homage to the departed leader. Holding photographs of Comrade VN and Red flags, the slogans of  ‘Lal Salam, Comrade VN’ and  ‘We Will Achieve Comrade VN’s Aims’ raised by them rented the air.

State secretary of the CPI(M) B V Raghavulu, member of Rajya Sabha, P Madhu, central committee members of the Party Paturu Ramayya and  Thammineni Veerabhadram,  state secretariat members V Srinivasa Rao,  Y Venkateswara Rao and V Krishnaiah and several leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI participated in the procession. 

At the end of the procession, in the vehicle carrying the body of Comrade VN, Polit Bureau members of the CPI(M) Sitaram Yechury and Koratala Satyanarayana, former leader of the CPI(M) legislature party Narra Raghava Reddy, MLA J Ranga Reddy, representative of the CPI(M)’s state committee of the West Bengal Samuel Baba, senior leader K Krishna Murthy and chairperson of Nalgonda zilla parishad K Lakshmamma participated.

Comrade VN’s wife and central committee member of the Party Mallu Swarajyam, her brothers B N Reddy and Kusalava Reddy and TDP leaders G Sukhender Reddy and B Lingaiah Yadav participated at the fag end of the procession. En route, TRS district president T Vijayasimha Reddy, MLA R Damodar Reddy, BJP state president N Indrasena Reddy and district president K Pavan Kumar paid homage to Comrade VN. 

At the condolence meeting, which was presided over by the district secretary of the CPI(M) Ch Sitaramulu, several leaders of political parties paid rich tributes to Comrade VN.  Sitaram Yechury said the real homage to Comrade VN was to continue his work.  He said there was a lot to learn from Comrade Narasimha Reddy.  Though hailing from a rich peasant family, Comrade VN, devoid of the characteristics of landlords, continued to conduct peasant movements and always worked for the poor, said Yechury.  Koratala Satyanarayana said there was a lot for the present generation to learn from the determination and efforts made by Comrade VN for the development of the Communist movement. He recollected the crucial role played by Comrade VN in the armed struggle of the peasants against the tyrannical rule of the Nizam.

B V Raghavulu said Comrade VN, during his six decades of active political life, had done relentless work for the people and the Communist revolutionary movement and fully dedicated himself to the movement without any other avocation. His effort was enormous in encouraging and supporting the district leadership of the Party which consisted of young leaders, said Raghavulu.

Samuel Baba said Comrade Narasimha Reddy was a great warrior in the heroic struggle against the Nizam. The presence of such a leader was a source of inspiration to the present-day youth, he said. Baba said, like Comrade Narasimha Reddy, hailing from a rich family, it was not possible for all to join the Communist movement and totally identify themselves with, and work for, the poor. 

Mallu Swarajyam said the role played by Comrade VN was inseparable from many struggles conducted in the state.  He was a Marxist intellectual, who used to repeatedly tell that to live as a Communist one must imbibe proletarian outlook and practice the same, she said. Even if it took some time for taking a decision in the movement, there was no looking back in the history of Comrade VN in implementing a decision once it was taken, said Swarajyam.

State working president of AIDWA S Punyavathy, senior leader of the CPI B Dharma Bhiksham, state convenor of MCPI B N Reddy, Thammineni Veerabhadram,  Narra Raghava Reddy, K Krishna Murthy, district secretary of the CPI P Venkat Reddy, R Damodar Reddy, K Lakshmamma, G Sukhendar  Reddy,  leader of the CPI(ML) New Democracy Janardhan, T Vijayasimha Reddy and others addressed the meeting. 

Later the body of Comrade VN was taken to the burial ground near the railway station where his sons Gautam Reddy and Nagarjuna Reddy lit the pyre.

State secretariat of the CPI, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, the TDP, A P Agricultural Workers’ Union, AIDWA, APUTF, SFI, DYFI, CITU, A P Rythu Sangham, AP Girijana Sangham and AP Artisans’ Coordination Committee and other mass organisations condoled the death of Comrade Narasimha Reddy.