Vijayawada: Across the city, heartfelt tributes were paid to the prominent communist leader, founder of the South Indian communist movement, first Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, freedom fighter, and guiding force behind the heroic Telangana rebellion, Pucchalapalli Sundarayya, on his 40th death anniversary here on Monday.
Leaders and activists from the CPI (M) and various labour unions organised numerous gatherings, meetings, and programmes in different localities including Vambay Colony, Ajit Singh Nagar, Old City Gollapalem Gattu, Nehru Bomma Centre, Samarangam Chowk, Governor Peta, Besant Road, and the Hanuman Peta Municipal Vehicle Depot. CPI (M) state secretariat members Ch Babu Rao and other prominent leaders, including Donepudi Kasinath, participated in various commemoration events throughout Vijayawada.
At a programme organised by the Walkers Association at Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, Babu Rao garlanded Sundarayya’s portrait and distributed buttermilk to the walkers. In the Old City, Babu Rao inaugurated a medical camp and distributed medicines to patients. Joining Babu Rao and Kasinath at these events were other CPI (M) leaders such as Boi Satya Babu, B Ramana Rao, K Durga Rao, Gade Adilakshmi, Kondareddy, Subbareddy, Raju, Peer Saheb, and Lakshmana, along with prominent members of the Walkers Association, including V Sambireddy and Raja Kamal.
The leaders emphasised that Sundarayya served the people not only as a formidable fighter but also as the first Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. They described him as a true patriot who envisioned and presented the plan for a people’s state in Visalandhra eight decades ago.
