Gaddar to contest Munugode bypoll

HYDERABAD: Former Maoist leader Gummadi Vittal Rao, also known as Gaddar, will contest the Munugode Assembly seat as the candidate of evangelist K. A. Paul's Praja Shanti Party (PSP).

Gaddar, a revolutionary balladeer, declared on Wednesday that he would contest on behalf of the Praja Shanti Party in the Munugode by-election.

In a complete departure of his avowed principle of extreme left groups, he owed allegiance to for several decades, Gaddar declared he would contest the by-election in an effort to preserve the Constitution.

Ironically, he had never vouched for the Constitution in his earlier avatar.

He claimed he made the decision to collaborate with K A Paul because of his efforts to promote world peace.

In addition to being an activist of the People's War Group, the Communist Party of India (Maoists), and the separate Telangana agitation in 1969, Gaddar was a well-known figure in the extreme left-wing political movement. (Maoists). He is also well-known for his revolutionary ballads. He fled into hiding as a result of the People's War Group's prohibition. Gaddar still has a bullet lodged inside him as a result of a Green Tigers attack.

Gaddar, reportedly plans to launch his electoral campaign on Thursday. The election will be held on November 3, 2022, and the results will be announced on November 6, 2022.

Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy's resignation triggered by-elections in the Munugode constituency. Rajagopal recently joined the BJP in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and will contest the Munugode byelection on behalf of the BJP Telangana party.

Gaddar in the last decade slowly drifted away from leftist politics and moved towards centrist and even right wing. In a reversal of his principles, he went a sang a number in praise of seer Ramanujacharya when Chinna Jeeyar Swamy had Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate the Statue of Unity.

Before that, Gaddar went and gave a warm hug to Chandrababu Naidu on a public dais, attracting sever criticism. For, it was during the Naidu's regime that Green Tigers attacked Gaddar. The Green Tigers are purportedly the plants of the police during Naidu's Chief Ministership. Naidu Government had so ferocious fought the People's War Group that the latter planted claymore mines targeting Naidu at Alipiri on his way to Tirumala hills in 2003.

K A Paul was a popular gospel preacher and rubbed shoulders with world leaders. However, he had lost the glory after he began dabbling with Andhra Pradesh politics and rubbing shoulders with Chandrababu Naidu. Later, YS Rajasekhara Reddy had checkmated Paul to a great extent. Paul eventually had launched his PSP and became a butt of jokes in every election. His party colours and scarf are almost identical to that of YSR Congress party. Even this was perceived to be the handiwork of anti-YSRC groups, especially the TDP.

Now Gaddar joining Paul is like an oxymoron. For, the paradox cannot be explained in the light of an extreme leftist joining hands with an religious preacher.