Veteran Freedom Fighter Bapuji Passes Away

Veteran freedom fighter and well known Telangana activist Konda Lakshman Bapuji died here on Friday at his residence in Ashok Nagar with age related ailments. He was 96.

Bapuji is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Born on September 27, 1915 at Wankidi in Adilabad district, Konda Lakshman earned the nickname Bapuji for his participation in Quit India Movement. He played an active role in the armed struggle against the Nizam government of then Hyderabad State. Later he also participated in the non-Mulki agitation. He resigned as Minister in the Cabinet of Kasu Brahmananda Reddy in 1969 to join the statehood movement for Telangana. After resigning from the Congress, he did not accepted any nominated posts.

Later, Konda Lakshman joined the TDP and played an active role till 2001. However, following differences with Naidu, he resigned from TDP and joined the TRS in 2001. Before joining the TRS, Bapuji was an MLA and served in the post of deputy speaker of Assembly from 1957-1960. He was elected as MLA for five times from 1952 -1978 and held various portfolios including Handlooms, Textiles, Small Scale industries, excise, labour and information and public relations.

Bapuji had also observed seven days fast in New Delhi last year to press the demand for Telangana state and had threatened to go on indefinite fast to achieve the statehood goal. He along with several intellectuals and freedom fighters from Telangana had floated a front last year to intensify the Telangana movement on the lines of Telangana Political Joint Action Committee.

Expressing serious displeasure over the functioning of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and other political parties fighting for a separate state, Bapuji had launched a series of meetings with leaders from the Seemandhra region and persuaded to agree for bifurcation of the state.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Tamilnadu Governor K Rosaiah, TDP chief N Chandrababau Naidu, TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao, Telangana Joint Action Committee convenor Prof M Kodandaram, Baladeer Gadar, BJP state president G Kishan Reddy and leaders from other parties have mourned the death of Bapuji. TRS leader Etela Rajender termed Bapuji's death as a big loss for the Telangana agitation.

The State Legislative Assembly also mourned the death of Bapuji and observed a two minute silence.

Bapuji's body has been kept at Padmashali Bhavan at Kachiguda for public view. His last rites will be formed on Saturday. (INN)