Hyderabad– Veteran Communist leader Mallu Swarajam, who had participated in the Telangana’s armed struggle against feudal lords, passed away due to multiple organ failure here on Saturday. She was 91.
A former member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, she breathed her last at around 8 p.m. at a private hospital, where she was admitted on March 1 for treatment of pneumonia.
She was a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and later a special invitee till the end.
Born in a feudal family in 1931 at Karivirala Kothagudem village in Thungatarthy of undivided Nalgonda district, she was attracted towards Communism in her teens.
Inspired by her brother Bheemireddy Narasimha Reddy, Swarajyam participated in Telangana People’s Armed Struggle (1946-51) against feudal lords and their private armies.
She played a key role by not only mobilising people by signing revolutionary songs, but also by picking up a gun to serve as the female commander. She carried a prize of Rs 10,000 on her head.
Swarajyam married Mallu Venkata Narsimha Reddy, another well-known Congress leader who played an active part in the armed struggle.
As a candidate of CPI(M), she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of united Andhra Pradesh from Thungathurthy Assembly constituency for two terms — in 1978 and 1983.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has condoled the death of Swarajyam.
The CM said that Swarajyam was a woman warrior who grew up with the dynamism instilled by Thungathurthy, which was a centre of peasant struggle.
Rao said in his condolence message that Swarajyam worked tirelessly for the people all her life and she was an inspiration to future generations.
The loss of a woman leader like Swarajyam is a big void for Telangana, the CM said, as he conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitharam Yechury also expressed his condolences over the demise of Swarajyam.
“She was an exceptional Communist revolutionary, fearlessly facing and challenging the private armies of the ruthless landlords and mercenary militia of the tyrant Nizam of Hyderabad – ‘Razakars’ – in Telangana’s armed struggle from 1946 to 1951,” he said.
The CPI-M leader said she inspired many women to take part in the struggle through her personal example and rousing speeches.
“We have lost an inspirational revolutionary. She spent more than 75 years in service of the people advancing the revolutionary cause,” Yechury said. (IANS)
