B. Srinivasa Rao

He was a member of the Congress Socialist Party and the Communist Party of India.^[1] He was an associate of S.V. Ghate and P. Jeevanandham, and was one of the nine founding members of the Tamil Nadu unit of CPI.^[1][4] He played an important role in the Tamil peasant movement from 1935 onward, in spite of not knowing Tamil language upon his arrival in the region.^[1] As of 1935 he was the secretary of the Congress Socialist Party in Madras.^[1] B. Srinivasa Rao was jailed for having distributed leaflets calling for boycott to the Silver Jubilee of King George V.^[1] After his release from prison he worked with P. Jeevanandham and P. Ramamurthi in setting up various trade unions.^[1] According to P. Ramamurthi, he founded the peasants and agricultural labour movement in Thanjavur District as "[h]e toured the district for months, lived with the peasants and agricultural labourers, ate in their houses and built a strong movement."^[5]

He managed the monthly publication of CPI 1938–1939.^[2] Upon the outbreak of World War II, he was arrested under the Defense of India Rules for having made anti-war speeches.^[1][4] He served as Joint Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha 1954–1957.^[2] He was elected to the CPI National Council at the 1958 Amritsar Party Congress.^[2]

He died on 30 September 1961.^[3]