Senior Congress leader Paladugu passes away
Senior Congress leader and MLC Paladugu Venkat Rao , who was ailing for some time, passed away early on Monday morning in Apollo Hospital. He was 75. Native of Gogulampadu under Musanooru mandal of Krishna district, Paladugu, as he was popularly known, joined youth Congress in 1968. He became an MLC for the first time in 1972. Later he contested from Nuziveedu Assembly constituency and got elected twice in 1978 and 1989.
Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and MLC Paladugu Venkat Rao , who was ailing for some time, passed away early on Monday morning in Apollo Hospital. He was 75. Native of Gogulampadu under Musanooru mandal of Krishna district, Paladugu, as he was popularly known, joined youth Congress in 1968. He became an MLC for the first time in 1972. Later he contested from Nuziveedu Assembly constituency and got elected twice in 1978 and 1989.
He also served as a Minister in the Cabinets of T Anjaiah, Bhavanam Venkatram and Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy. He was presently a member of AP Legislative Council. His body was shifted to Nuziveedu in the evening and his funeral rites would take place on Wednesday at his ancestral village. AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh would represent the Central Congress leadership at the funeral.
Many Congress leaders paid tributes to Rao at APCC headquarters here and recalled his services to the State and party. AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Leader of the Opposition in AP State Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, APCC President N Raghuveera Reddy, TPCC President Ponnala Laxmaiah, former ministers K Jana Redy, D Srinivas, K Satyanarayana Raju, TRS Rajya Sabha member Dr K Keshava Rao and many others expressed grief over Paladugu’s demise and paid rich tributes to him He was a youth leader of considerable achievement during his student days and a voracious reader.
.jpg)
He had a record of having fought against the feudal forces of his area from the very early days of his political career. Vijayawada Bureau adds: The sudden death of former Minister Paladugu Venkatrao was described as a great loss to the Congress. Born in a Communist family of Paladugu Lakshmayya on November 11, 1940, Venkatrao was attracted to the Congress during his college days. He became the student Congress leader very soon and served the organisation as observer for student Congress elections in Madhya Pradesh.
Venkatrao always advocated the Gandhi-Nehru policies and believed that the Congress alone would develop the nation and have welfare vision towards people. A staunch loyalist of late Kakani Venkata Rathnam, He shifted his loyalties to late P V Narasimha Rao during the Jai Andhra movement and stood for integrated State.
