The funeral procession of Telangana folk singer, poet and balladeer Gummadi Vittal Rao, popularly known as Gaddar, in Hyderabad saw a huge crowd on August 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
The CPI (Maoist) Telangana State committee has condoled the death of balladeer Gaddar.
In a purported statement that surfaced on social media, the outlawed outfit’s official spokesman Jagan expressed condolences to the bereaved family of Gaddar.
Gaddar’s stint as a revolutionist started in 1972 and lasted till 2012, and he stood for the cause of oppressed classes for four decades, Jagan said.
He added that the Jana Natya Mandali, a cultural troupe, was set up in 1972, inspired by the ‘Naxalbari struggle’ and the Srikakulum movement, to mobilise the oppressed sections against the feudal suppression.
“Gaddar played a key role in the establishment of the Jana Natya Mandali and in strengthening the revolutionary movement as a member of the party in the cultural domain.
He penned and sung songs to further the anti-feudal struggle and led the cultural campaign to ensure handing over the dead bodies of revolutionists those killed in ‘fake encounters’ to their families, Jagan said.
Gaddar took active part in the Telangana democratic struggles and worked as the president of the Telangana Praja Front during the final phase of the Telangana movement. Gaddar had spent four years in dalam during the 1980s, he added.
Gaddar escaped a bid on his life with grievous bullet injuries in an attack by some killer gangs during the then TDP regime in 1997, Jagan alleged.
Jagan said, “Our party served a show-cause notice on Gaddar over his relations with the ruling parties in contrast to the party’s guidelines, and subsequently he resigned from the party in 2012. Our party accepted his resignation.
