Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao
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Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao | |
|---|---|
 Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao in 2010 | |
| Member of Legislative Assembly, Andhra Pradesh | |
| Constituency | Sircilla |
| In office 13 May 1957 – 12 May 2009 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 August 1923[1] |
| Died | 9 May 2016 |
| Party | Communist Party of India, later joined Telugu Desam Party |
| Spouse | Ch Lalita Devi |
| Children | Chennamaneni Ramesh |
| Relatives | C. H. Hanumantha Rao (brother) C. Vidyasagar Rao (brother) |
| Education | Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Laws |
| Alma mater | Osmania University |
Chennamaneni Rajeshwara Rao (31 August 1923 - 9 May 2016) was an Indian communist leader and politician from the state of Telangana (former part of Andhra Pradesh). Between 1957 and 2004 he got elected six times to the State Legislative Assembly.
Rajeshwara Rao was active in the Quit India Movement and the struggle against the Nizam's rule of Hyderabad. During the resistance he spent 5 years underground and in jail before entering electoral politics following the integration of Hyderabad state into the Indian Union. He was a long-time member of the Communist Party of India and in 1999 joined the Telugu Desam Party. He retired from active politics in 2009.[2][3]
Student years
Rajeshwara Rao was born to Chennamaneni Chandramma and Srinivasa Rao in the Marupaka village of Vemulawada Urban mandal, Karimnagar district, on 31 August 1923. He was the third child and had eight sisters and three brothers. According to his autobiography, he was interested in issues of social justice in Telangana from an early age on and often had the opportunity to observe the discussions of Andhra Mahasabha leaders, Polkampalli Venkatrama Rao and Baddam Yella Reddy, particularly when its fourth conference was held in Sircilla in 1935.[4] Influenced by this movement he later came into contact with Marxist ideology. In 1942, he joined the Communist Party of India and in 1944 became regular member of the party. Rajeshwara Rao attended Karimnagar High School till 1943 and subsequently entered Osmania University to become a lawyer.[2]
Rajeshwara Rao was part of the Osmania University Students Union and the All Hyderabad Students Union. During his student years, Rajeshwara Rao worked as a student organizer and went on to become a leader of the Osmania University Students Union. He participated in the railway strike. He graduated in 1947, B.Sc. and left University as part of the Quit College Movement to actively participate in the ongoing Freedom struggle, he later completed his LL.B. in 1963.[2]
Freedom struggle
As a student Rajeshwara Rao joined the Telangana Armed Struggle against Nizam of Hyderabad and actively participated in Freedom Movement of India. He worked under veteran Telangana Armed Struggle leader Ravi Narayana Reddy. Due to his active participation in the Telangana Rebellion against the ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, Rajeshwara Rao lived underground from September 1947 till October 1951 when he was arrested under the Preventive Detention Act (PDA).[5] In this period of underground and jail life, Rajeshwara Rao, his wife Lalitha, their two daughters Aruna and Kalpana, both born in this period, and his brother Ch. Hanumantha Rao faced severe hardships.[2] Rajeshwara Rao worked closely with famous Urdu poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin when they all lived in underground dens in Sabzeemandi and chikkadpally, before being arrested.[2]
While underground, he organised different student actions, like hosting the Indian flag on Independence day, 15 August as well as the training of students for the armed struggle of Telangana. In 1948, he got elected General Secretary of the AHSU in a secret meeting and led a delegation to the South East Asian Youth Conference in Kolkata the same year. He also attended the second congress of the CPI in Calcutta in 1948.[2] After he was released on parole in February 1952, Rajeshwara Rao advocated the implementation of the Tenancy and Land Reform legislation and was soon rearrested. Only after the ruling of the Indian Supreme Court declaring the PDA unconstitutional, Rajeshwara Rao was ultimately freed months later. He served as the Acting District Secretary of the CPI till 1956 and subsequently got elected D.C. Secretary.[2]
