CPI mourns the passing of our beloved leader and former General Secretary Comrade Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy
- CPI National
- Aug 23
- 3 min read
The Communist Party of India bows its red flag in homage to Comrade Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy (25 March 1942 – 22 August, 2025), a distinguished leader of the Indian Left who devoted his entire life to the cause of workers, peasants, students, youth and the oppressed.
From his formative years as a school student in Kurnool, where he led his classmates in a strike for blackboards and chalk, to his days as Students’ Union General Secretary at Osmania University Law College, Comrade Reddy’s instinct for mobilisation and leadership was evident early. Twice elected as General Secretary of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) in the late 1960s, he led historic 62-day nationwide strikes demanding hostels, scholarships and welfare measures, and faced repeated imprisonment for his role in student struggles. As President of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) in 1972, he spearheaded the campaign that won voting rights for youth at the age of 18, through the 61st Constitutional Amendment—leaving an indelible mark on India’s democratic process.
Twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Nalgonda (1998 & 2004), he served with distinction as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour. His pioneering recommendations on social security for unorganised workers and gratuity rights for private school teachers became the basis of important legislations. His interventions in Parliament—on fluoride contamination in Nalgonda, agrarian distress, black money, and the 2G scam—won him respect across party lines as a voice of integrity and social conscience. On the ground, he led major people’s agitations, including the militant electricity price struggle in Andhra Pradesh, where he narrowly escaped police bullets. This agitation became a landmark in resisting World Bank-imposed policies. As CPI Andhra Pradesh State Secretary (1997–2005) and later as Deputy General Secretary (2008), he expanded the reach of the Left among youth, particularly in universities, by linking class and caste struggles in new ways.
As General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (2012–2019), Comrade Reddy re-energised the organisation, emphasising cadre education, mass-organisation building, and united-Left action against communalism and authoritarianism. Under his stewardship, the Party recorded its most significant growth in membership and in youth and women’s wings since the 1990s.
Internationally, Comrade Reddy represented the CPI and India with distinction. He participated in more than 40 international delegations, from student congresses in the USSR and Mongolia to fraternal engagements in the USA, Italy, Vietnam, Japan and elsewhere. He also addressed the United Nations General Assembly, projecting the vision of India’s working people to the world. These global exchanges deepened CPI’s international solidarity and sharpened its perspectives at home.
A commanding orator in Telugu, Hindi and English, as well as a prolific writer of essays, pamphlets and books, Comrade Reddy combined ideological clarity with accessibility, making Marxism understandable to new generations. His speeches and writings continue to inspire organisers and campaigners across India.
Comrade Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy exemplified the journey “from the classroom to the comradeship of the world.” His entire life was a testament to principled leadership rooted in people’s struggles, and he will be remembered as one of the outstanding leaders of the Indian Left.
The mortal remains of Comrade Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy will be kept at Makhdoom Bhawan, CPI Telangana State Council office, on 24th August 2025 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM for the public to pay their respects. Floral tributes will also be offered at CPI National Headquarters, Ajoy Bhawan, from 23rd August 2025, 2:00 PM to 24th August 2025, 5:00 PM.
Red Salute to Comrade Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy! Lal Salaam!
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