The fifth death anniversary of former Member of Parliament Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy provided a platform for all political parties in the State to come together with the slogan ‘Justice for Viveka’.
Speaking after paying tributes on March 15 (Friday), the leaders recalled how the soft-spoken leader, known as a friend of all, could have met such a tragic death, that too by “his own close circles.” They vowed to support his daughter Suneetha Narreddy in her legal fight in the case.
Putting their party affiliations aside, TDP candidates ‘B.Tech’ Ravi (Pulivendula), Nandyala Varadarajulu Reddy (Proddatur), BJP State leader Adinarayana Reddy, secretary N. Ramesh Naidu, Congress Media Committee convener N. Thulasi Reddy, State secretary Shabbir Ali and Rayalaseema Communist Party secretary Ravishankar Reddy vowed to join hands to render justice to the slain leader.
The presence of APCC president Y.S. Sharmila gave the much-needed boost to the sense of camaraderie that was prevailing among the leaders.
In her call to shun “murder politics,” Ms. Sharmila appealed to the people to express their overwhelming support to the cause in the form of their valuable votes in the ensuing general elections.
Mr. Ravi and Mr. Adinarayana Reddy, who were initially projected as the prime suspects in the case, recalled how they had been framed in the case.
“The entire world was made to believe that we were behind the murder. But people of Pulivendula know how Vivekananda Reddy used to treat us affectionately, though we represented different parties and contested on different symbols,” they said.
Referring to Vivekananda Reddy’s simplicity and down-to-earth approach, the former MP’s close friends and colleagues from the Rayalaseema movement recalled how he used to take them on his two-wheeler to the government offices to get their issues addressed.
