Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Alluri Satyanarayana Raju

Alluri Satyanarayana Raju was a Congress organiser of the Andhra region. A member of the Andhra Socialist Party in the 1930s, he became president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in 1955 and signed the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956 on its behalf. He later served as a secretary of the All India Congress. G. Venkataramarao writes that he fell out with Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and helped D. Sanjivayya become Chief Minister in 1960. He died on 2 September 1968.

Alluri Satyanarayana Raju was a Congress leader of the Andhra region who led the party organisation in the years of Andhra Pradesh’s formation.12 He began on the left of the national movement, in the Andhra Socialist Party of the 1930s.3 His later career is told mainly in G. Venkataramarao’s Telugu history Telangana Charitra (2014), which sees him as a skilful but divisive party manager.45

Socialist and Congressman

In June 1934 the Andhra Socialist Party was formed at Vijayawada, with N. G. Ranga as president and Madduri Annapurnaiah as secretary.3 P. Raghunadha Rao names Alluri Satyanarayana Raju, K. Lingaraju, P. Sundarayya and C. Rajeswara Rao among its other leading members.36 Sundarayya and Rajeswara Rao later joined the Communist Party.6

When the Andhra State was formed in 1953, Venkataramarao writes, Satyanarayana Raju and Neelam Sanjiva Reddy used all their political skill to bring T. Prakasam back into the Congress.7 In 1955, when B. Gopala Reddy became Chief Minister of the Andhra State, Satyanarayana Raju became president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.1

The union with Telangana, 1956

During the talks on joining Telangana and Andhra, Telangana leaders told the Congress leadership that most people in Telangana wanted a separate state.8 Venkataramarao writes that Satyanarayana Raju answered with a promise that Telangana’s development would suffer no neglect.8 On 20 February 1956 he was one of the four Andhra leaders who signed the Gentlemen’s Agreement in New Delhi.29

Venkataramarao describes Sanjiva Reddy and Satyanarayana Raju as a team in the first years of Andhra Pradesh.410 He writes that they used the rivalries among Telangana’s leaders and called the post of Deputy Chief Minister a useless “sixth finger”.10

Party secretary and rival of Sanjiva Reddy

After the 1957 elections Satyanarayana Raju stayed on as president of the state Congress.11 Then U. N. Dhebar made him one of his secretaries in the All India Congress, and Venkataramarao dates the quarrel between him and Sanjiva Reddy from this time.11 He describes Satyanarayana Raju as attractive, able and a good campaigner, who knew Hindi well.11 Satyanarayana Raju translated Rahul Sankrityayan’s Hindi book Volga se Ganga (From the Volga to the Ganga) into Telugu.11

When Sanjiva Reddy left to become president of the All India Congress, Satyanarayana Raju wished to be Chief Minister.11 Venkataramarao writes that some felt he lacked experience of administration.11 He then put forward D. Sanjivayya and S. B. P. Pattabhi Rama Rao, and Sanjivayya became Chief Minister in January 1960.12 On becoming president of the state Congress, Satyanarayana Raju had given up his seat in the Rajya Sabha.12

Venkataramarao writes that Satyanarayana Raju’s mistakes, such as the choice of a Telangana leader as party president, brought him criticism in the coastal districts.5 When Sanjiva Reddy formed his new ministry in 1962, he gave Satyanarayana Raju no place in it.13 Satyanarayana Raju died on 2 September 1968.14

Footnotes

  1. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 292 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  2. Report of the Committee on Telangana Surpluses (1969), p. 5 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  3. P. Raghunadha Rao, Adhunika Andhrapradesh Charitra (Telugu, revised edition 1997), p. 180 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 302 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  5. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 308 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  6. Raghunadha Rao, Adhunika Andhrapradesh Charitra (1997), p. 181 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  7. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 290 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  8. G. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 278 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  9. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 294 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  10. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 303 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  11. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 306 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  12. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 307 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  13. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 309 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  14. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 310 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

References

Sources (3)
  1. P. Raghunadha Rao, Adhunika Andhrapradesh Charitra (ఆధునిక ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ చరిత్ర), Telugu version of History of Modern Andhra Pradesh (opens in a new tab), Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1997, pp. 180–181. Cite-only; paraphrased. In Telugu. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. G. Venkataramarao; C. Narayana Reddy (chief ed.) and J. Chennayya (ed.), Telangana Charitra (తెలంగాణ చరిత్ర) (opens in a new tab), Andhra Saraswata Parishat, Hyderabad, 2014, pp. 278, 290, 292, 294, 302–303, 306–310. Cite-only; paraphrased. In Telugu. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Committee on Telangana Surpluses (Vashishtha Bhargava, chairman), Report of the Committee on Telangana Surpluses (opens in a new tab), Government of India (Manager of Publications, Delhi), 1969, pp. 5. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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