NALGONDA: Veteran Congress leader and former Bhongir MLA Kommidi Narasimha Reddy passed away in Hyderabad on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). He was 85.
His mortal remains have been kept at the residence of his eldest daughter, Rani, in Ramanthapur to enable the public to pay their last respects. His last rites will be performed with state honours in his native village on Wednesday.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed deep condolences over the demise of the veteran leader, recalling Narasimha Reddy’s active role in the 1969 Telangana statehood movement. Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was among several leaders who mourned the former legislator’s death.
Born on September 10, 1943, into a landlord family in Brahmanapalli village of Bibinagar mandal, Narasimha Reddy began his political career as the sarpanch of his native village, serving from 1962 to 1970. Representing the Congress, he was elected to the Assembly from the Bhongir constituency in 1978 and again in 1983.
During his tenure as MLA, he focused on the development of the constituency. However, due to financial constraints, he chose not to contest the 1985 mid-term polls.
Widely respected for his simplicity and integrity, Narasimha Reddy donated nearly 300 acres of his ancestral land to the poor under the Bhoodan movement, earning the affectionate title of “Bhoodan Reddy.” Despite serving two terms as an MLA, he owned neither a house nor a car and would travel on an old Bajaj Chetak scooter.