HYDERABAD: CPI former general secretary and ex-Lok Sabha member Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy passed away in Hyderabad on Friday due to age-related illness. He was 83 and is survived by two sons. He served as general secretary of the CPI from 2012 to 2019. He succeeded A B Bardhan, who had held the post for 16 years.
As news of his death spreads, people from different walks of life expressed grief. Telanganna Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy described his death as “a loss for the entire nation.” TPCC Chief B Mahesh Kumar, ministers and BRS leaders also expressed their condolences.
CPI general secretary D Raja said on X, “Comrade Sudhakar dedicated his life to the struggles of the working class. Being a lifelong fighter for the people, he will be remembered for his humility, clarity, and unwavering commitment to the CPI & the Left movement.”
Reddy was the second leader from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to head the CPI at the national level. The first was Chandra Rajeswara Rao, who served as general secretary for 25 years. His election as general secretary gave a boost to the party’s pro-Telangana stand.
Born on March 25, 1942, in Kondravpally, Mahabubnagar, Reddy participated in student movements while he was still in school. He studied at the Municipal High School and Coles Memorial High School in Kurnool. He was known to have fought for chalk, blackboards and other basic requirements during his student days.
His father, S Venkatrami Reddy, was a freedom fighter. Reddy got an LLB degree from Osmania University Law College.
He worked in the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), the student wing of the CPI, and became its all-India president in 1970. He was elected to the national council in 1971.
Later, he moved from Delhi to Hyderabad and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections thrice. He lost from the Kollapur constituency in 1985 and 1990, and from Done in 1994, where he was defeated by Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy.
In 1998, he was elected as an MP and, in the same year, became the CPI state secretary. He was again elected as an MP in 2004 but lost in 2009.
He was elected the CPI national deputy general secretary in 2007 and in March 2012, was unanimously elected the party’s general secretary.
Reddy was a member of the 12th and 14th Lok Sabha, representing the Nalgonda segment.