Anti-arrack crusader hit by poverty, ill-health

Nellore: Dubagunta Rosamma, who spearheaded the anti-arrack movement in the Nellore district and which soon spread like wildfire to other parts in the state in the year 1993, finally unseating the Congress in the 1994 Assembly elections is battling for life. The movement also led to the imposition of prohibition in the state in January 1995 when the Telugu Desam Party stormed back to power.

Speaking to the media here on Monday, Rosamma said that she was suffering from lung infection and her kidneys are totally damaged. Added to these, she is also languishing in poverty. She has to undergo dialysis twice every week, she said.

Roasmma said that she cannot afford the medical expenses as her son was a daily wage labourer. She appealed to the government, non-governmental organization, and philanthropists to come to her rescue and donate liberally.