JOGULAMBA GADWAL: Gadwal strongman and former MLA, Gattu Bheemudu, breathed his last on Wednesday. He had been gravely ill for the past few months and was undergoing treatment at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad.
Gattu Bheemudu was famous for his crusade against belt shops. He had made headlines in 1999, when he defeated then Congress heavyweight DK Aruna at Gadwal Assembly segment. He was with the Telugu Desam Party then. Later, during the Telangana movement, he switched to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. He continued to be TRS’ tallest leaders in the region even after his time as MLA. Gadwal MLA Krishna Mohan Reddy, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, Prohibition and Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud, former minister C Laxma Reddy and BJP leader DK Aruna expressed their condolences over Bheemudu’s death.
Later in the day, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his sadness over Bheemudu passing away. He recalled the later leader’s services to the State as an MLA. He expressed his sympathies with Bheemudu’s family.