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{{Short description|Indian communist politician from Telangana (1906–1979)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
'''Baddam Yella Reddy''' ({{langx|te|బద్దం ఎల్లారెడ్డి}}, 1906 in Galipalli village<ref name="hin">''[[The Hindu]]''. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20071114074253/http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/06/stories/2006060612550300.htm `Projects will change face of Karimnagar']''</ref><ref>''New Age''. ''[http://www.newageweekly.com/2011/03/cpi-padayatra-in-karimnagar.html CPI Padayatra in Karimnagar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404092801/http://www.newageweekly.com/2011/03/cpi-padayatra-in-karimnagar.html |date=4 April 2011 }}''</ref> – 1979<ref>Indian Institute of Applied Political Research. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=5s4kAQAAIAAJ The Annual Register of Indian Political Parties]'', Volume 1991, Edition 2. New Delhi: Michiko & Panjathan [etc.], 1979. p. 500</ref>) was an Indian communist politician from [[Telangana]]. He was one of the prominent leaders in the [[Telangana Rebellion|Telangana armed struggle]] against the [[Nizam]] regime.

==Early activism==
Yella Reddy became influenced by the socialist ideas of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].<ref>Narotham Reddy, K. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=cdlHAAAAMAAJ Freedom Struggle in Erstwhile Nizam State: With Special Reference to Karimnagar District, 1920-1948 A.D.]'' Hyderabad, A.P., India. p. 172</ref> He belonged to the more militant sector in the [[Andhra Maha Sabha]], that deplored the non-confrontational policies of the leadership of the organization. This tendency became increasingly attracted to communism in the late 1930s.<ref name="r1"/> Yella Reddy took part in the 1938 [[satyagrah]].<ref>V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=0uxFAAAAYAAJ Agrarian Structure, Movements & Peasant Organisations in India]''. Noida, Uttar Pradesh: V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, 2004. p. 118</ref> under the leadership of Ravi Narayana Reddy. He was amongst those jailed during the protest campaign.<ref>Innaiah, N. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WMtAAAAAMAAJ Politics for Power: The Role of Caste and Factions in Andhra Pradesh, 1880-1980]''. Hyderabad [India] (1-1-180/15, Chaminar X-Roads, Hyderabad-500020): Scientific Services, 1981. p. 74</ref> In 1939 the [[Communist Party of India]] established its organization in the Hyderabad State, Baddam Yella Reddy worked closely with [[D.V. Rao]] and [[Ravi Narayana Reddy]] in building grassroots networks of the party in the region.<ref name="r1">Ramakrishna Reddy, V. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=f0mh6W7ejL4C&pg=PA709 Economic History of Hyderabad State: Warangal Suba, 1911-1950]''. Delhi: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 709</ref><ref>''New Age''. ''[http://www.newageweekly.com/2010/10/remembering-ravi-narayana-reddy-by.html Remembering Ravi Narayana Reddy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325223154/http://www.newageweekly.com/2010/10/remembering-ravi-narayana-reddy-by.html |date=25 March 2012 }}''</ref>

==Andhra Maha Sabha and the Telangana rebellion==
From 1941 Yella Reddy's communist group came to dominate the Andhra Maha Sabha.<ref>Ramakrishna Reddy, V. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=f0mh6W7ejL4C&pg=PA73 Economic History of Hyderabad State: Warangal Suba, 1911-1950]''. Delhi: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 73</ref> Yella Reddy became the general secretary of the Andhra Maha Sabha.<ref>Ramakrishna Reddy, V. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=f0mh6W7ejL4C&pg=PA452 Economic History of Hyderabad State: Warangal Suba, 1911-1950]''. Delhi: Gian Pub. House, 1987. p. 452</ref> Under Yella Reddy's leadership the Andhra Maha Sabha moved from being a liberal organization into a militant anti-[[Nizam]] [[united front]].<ref>Sundarayya, P. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=TPjIh1G0TmcC&pg=PA12 Telangana People's Struggle and Its Lessons]''. New Delhi: Published by Foundation Books, on behalf of the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram, 2006. p. 12</ref>

Yella Reddy was one of the key leaders of the Telangana armed struggle.<ref name="hin"/><ref name="h3"/> As the Nizam declared Hyderabad as an independent state in September 1947 Baddam Yella Reddy was one of the signatories of a joint declaration of the Communist Party, Andhra Maha Sabha and the [[All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress]] calling for armed struggle against the Nizam's rule and for the [[integration of Hyderabad]] to India (Yella Reddy signed on behalf of the Andhra Maha Sabha).<ref>''Mainstream Weekly''. ''[http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article2341.html Relevance of the Telangana Armed Struggle]''</ref><ref>''New Age''. ''[http://www.newageweekly.com/2010/09/telangana-in-mess-confusion-deepens-by.html Telangana in Mess, Confusion deepens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912091443/http://www.newageweekly.com/2010/09/telangana-in-mess-confusion-deepens-by.html |date=12 September 2011 }}''</ref> The Telangana rebellion was one of the largest armed peasant uprisings in modern India, which lasted until 1951.<ref>Gupta, Akhil. ''[http://cssaame.dukejournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/4/1/1 REVOLUTION IN {{sic|TELENGANA|nolink=y}} 1946-1951]'', in ''[[Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East]]'' 1984 4(1):1-26; {{doi|10.1215/07323867-4-1-1}}</ref>

==Parliamentarian==
Yella Reddy also served as secretary of the Telangana Provincial Committee of the [[Communist Party of India]] and was a member of the secretariat of the Vishalandhra Provincial Committee of the CPI. In the first parliamentary elections in independent India Yella Reddy was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1951 from [[Karimnagar]] as a [[People's Democratic Front (Hyderabad)|People's Democratic Front]] candidate,<ref name="hin"/><ref name="ov"/><ref>[[Election Commission of India]]. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/LS_1951/VOL_1_51_LS.PDF KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1951 TO THE FIRST LOK SABHA]''</ref> defeating the [[Indian National Congress]] candidate [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]] (who later became the [[Prime Minister of India]]).<ref>Aggarwala, Adish C. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=CfxtAAAAMAAJ P.V. Narasimha Rao, Scholar Prime Minister]''. New Delhi: Amish Publications, 1995. p. 53</ref> In 1956 he became a [[Central Committee]] member of CPI.<ref name="ov">Overstreet, Gene D., and Marshall Windmiller. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=PAFBW743Bi4C&pg=PA572 Communism in India]''. Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.]: Univ. of California Press, 1959. p. 572</ref> In 1958 he won a by-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the Buggaram constituency.<ref name="h3">''[[The Hindu]]''. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20071014051813/http://hindu.com/2006/05/09/stories/2006050915570300.htm Memorial sought for martyrs of Telangana armed struggle]''</ref>

As CPI went through [[1964 split in the Communist Party of India|a major split in 1964]], Baddam Yella Reddy joined the dissident [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]. He was the sole prominent CPI leader in Karimnagar district to do so. However, he only stayed in the CPI(M) for three months before returning to CPI.<ref>K. Balagopal and M. Kodandarama Reddy. ''[https://www.jstor.org/stable/4371592 Forever 'Disturbed': Peasant Struggle of Sircilla-Vemulawada]'', in ''Economic and Political Weekly'', Vol. 17, No. 48 (27 November 1982), pp. 1897-1901</ref>

In 1972 he won the Indurthi seat in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election.<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/SR_KeyHighLights/SE_1972/Statittical_Report_Andhra_Pradesh_1972.pdf General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh]''</ref>

==Memorials==
In 2006, in connection with Yella Reddy's birth centenary celebrations the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister [[Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy]] inaugurated a bronze statue of Yella Reddy in Karimnagar. At the ceremony the Chief Minister also vowed to realize the provision of additional ayacut through the completion of irrigation projects in the Karimnagar district, a longstanding dream of Yella Reddy.<ref name="hin"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Baddam Yella}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:India MPs 1952–1957]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Hyderabad State]]
[[Category:Andhra Pradesh MLAs 1955–1962]]
[[Category:Telugu politicians]]

Baddam Yella Reddy - Revision history

RobbyAyres at 20:01, 3 March 2026