Leaders like Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao have become all too rare: Justice Sudershan Reddy

Following is the text of the lecture delivered by Justice B Sudershan Reddy, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, on the occasion of releasing a postal stamp in memory of freedom fighter and a legendary politician Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao on Saturday, 17 February 2024 in Hyderabad. The meeting was attended by Dr. PVS Reddy, Chief Post Master General, Telangana Circle, G. Sukhender Reddy, chairman of Telangana Legislative Council, G. Prasad Kumar, Speaker, Telangana Legislative Assembly,D. Sridhar Babu, Minister of IT and Industries, former member of planning commission Ch. Hanumantha Rao, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, former Governor of Maharashtra, K R Suresh Reddy, Member of Rajya Sabha, Former MLA Channamaneni Ramesh, and many other eminent and distinguished persons.

It is with utmost humility I accepted this assignment of delivering this speech at this function for the release of a postal stamp honouring Shri. Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao Garu. In this regard, we must express our thanks to the Union of India for choosing to honour the remarkable public life of Rajeshwar Rao Garu.

That there are still platforms such as this, where so many persons known for their intellect and above all integrity have gathered, is gladdening to the heart. In a world that has been overtaken by the messy swamp of vile discourses on the social media, that misguide and incite even the well educated – with one distorted message after another –  occasions like this to jog our memories and pay our respects for those who served the cause of the people, freedom and democracy selflessly, engender hope that the battles waged by Shri Rajeshwar Rao Garu have not been futile. That a curated book of Shri. Rajeshwar Rao Garu’s speeches, both in the legislature and outside, is also being simultaneously released makes this an even more special occasion. I thank the Chennamaneni family for taking this up, and yet again re-sharing Rajeshwar Rao Garu in service of the wider project of democracy and justice for the poor that enables them to enhance, nurture and protect their inherent dignity.

There is little that one can add to the public knowledge regarding Rajeshwar Rao Garu’s nearly eight decades of public service. His was a life lived in the public eye, and as one of the more respected political leaders, people in general and especially the ones more concerned about political economy of the country, have often derived inspiration from a study of his life. From the act of setting aside his personal growth and academics to join the struggle for freedom of the land and its people, to his role in convincing one of the more intransigent anti-Telangana state leaders about the need for the formation of Telangana State, his was a life lived in the public spotlight. That he is universally held up as a paragon of integrity, in both personal and public life, is testimony to the fact that even in the cesspool of modern politics, man can aspire for and live by higher values.

Remarkable tenacity

I have often wondered about the remarkable tenacity of spirit that actuated Rajeshwar Rao Garu’s actions, even as a very young man, in the aid of our freedom struggle and for liberation of the people from the yoke of an oppressive feudal and monarchical regime. We often spoke in hushed tones about how he lived underground in the basements of Chikkadpalli and Sabzeemandi, the privations he endured – with a young family to support – and yet never wavering. That he gave up his inheritance – a rather large estate – and inspired his other brothers to do the same, without ever expressing second thoughts or regrets is testimony to the steadfastness of his moral compass as well as revelatory of the dreams and goals that led to the formation of the people as a nation into the modern Indian nation state.

Throughout his life, Rajeshwar Rao Garu was an indefatigable warrior for social justice in general, and the causes he espoused included, but not limited to, land distribution for the poor, problems faced by tenant farmers and agricultural labour, and the issue of employment creation for the youth. His was a career marked by remarkable positive work on the ground for the constituencies he served. He was the architect and chief patron of the Cooperative Electricity Supply Society (CESS) that brought electricity to 175 villages in Siricilla. I would suggest that we need to study this model as it might be useful to us in pushing forward an agenda of decentralization of solar electricity production – possibly on a cooperative model – to create both steady revenue streams as well as local employment at the village level. Other noteworthy achievements included: (i) initiation of the MulaVagu (Nimmapalli) irrigation project to benefit dry land farmers; (ii) promotion of education by initiating policy and fiscal commitments by the Government to upgrade schools, start new colleges, including a polytechnic college and a degree college in Siricilla. He was instrumental in initiating policy changes that brought 50% power subsidy to the powerloom weavers in Siricilla.

Legislator par excellence

We must also acknowledge another significant set of achievements of Rajeshwar Rao Garu – and one element in this set reveals his how well he understood the mechanics of practices in the legislature. Shri. Rajagopalachari, then the Chief Minister of Madras had made some rather un-parliamentary  remarks about the Communist Party. Shri. Rajeshwar Rao Garu did not engage in a war of words. Instead he moved a Motion of Privilege against Rajaji, that was admitted by the Speaker of the AP Legislative Assembly and notice was issued to Rajaji. This compelled even a towering figure like Rajaji to accept his mistake and apologize for the same. The curated book of his speeches in the legislature, spanning a period of 30 years, is a treasure trove for historians as well as those politicians who might still aspire to be effective and yet a dignified contributor to the legislative debates.

Even as we speak of Rajeshwar Rao Garu, we must also speak of the remarkable Chennamaneni family. I am sure none would quibble that the eldest inspired others to lead lives of service to the people, even if some of them were part of ideological groupings that were diametrically opposite and even in conflict with the one held by Rajeshwar Rao Garu. We have Shri. Ch. HanumanthraoGaru, a distinguished economist and public intellectual who has enriched our national understanding of the issues of the economy and political economy. Then there is Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, who has also led a very active life in the political sphere, serving as a Union Minister and also as a Governor. Incidentally, Vidyasagar Rao was my classmate, and hence a special acknowledgement is owed to him on my part of the pride I feel in his achievements! His personal life, public life should be a template for the now nationally dominant party as to how they might wish to groom their young leaders to serve this nation. And finally, but not the elast, Ch. Venkateswar Rao Garu, a great social activist and promoter of many an initiative in the sphere of social welfare. And above all,  special mention has to necessarily be made of Smt. Lalita Devi, spouse of Rajeshwar Rao Garu, who stood by him and provided him the strength to lead the kind of life he did and serve the people with utmost dedication. We owe her a debt of gratitude that can never really be repaid in full; but which we must nevertheless acknowledge if only to inspire others. It would not be unreasonable to say that the Chennamaneni family as a whole has contributed immensely to the welfare of the people of this country. It is a remarkable family, by any yardstick, and one we as people of Telangana and of India, ought to cherish. It has been a privilege and good fortune, personally, to count them as good friends.

Arguments presented on a bedrock of facts

Rajeshwar Rao Garu never flinched from engaging in spirited debate. He was always forthright, bringing great analytical clarity to arguments presented on a bedrock of facts that he would assiduously verify for their truth content. He did not shy away from acknowledging concerns and facts expressed by other legislators, even those sitting across the aisle, especially when they were helpful in giving voice to concerns of the poor. If he had to put his own party and government in the dock – he never hesitated, because for him the cause of the poor was an article of faith that he could not abandon even a bit. As I went through an advance copy of his speeches and interjections in the legislative assembly, I was astonished by how wide a range of issues he tackled, how he crafted his language to deliver the moral urgency of solving the problems of the poor, and how he never ever abused his opponents. Forget abuse, he did not even engage in harsh criticism, and yet made his differences crystal clear. This was because he truly believed that being elected to the legislative assembly was not for his personal gain – whether it be lure of ill gotten wealth or the intoxication of power. Rather, he recognized it as a sacred duty, and hence there was no space for ill-tempered remarks and theatrics.

Most reasonable people would readily acknowledge that political discourse has significantly degenerated. From catcalling and jeering political opponents by those who hold the highest constitutional offices in the Country, demonization of various social groups and recipients of social welfare, to use of foul language even on the floor of the sacred law making houses –  all these and much more have tragically become common place. Ofcourse, each blaming the other, but let us remember if you sow the wind you will reap the whirlwind.  This is extremely disturbing.

This is so because, at the very foundation of the concept of a constitutional democracy lies an ontological assumption – that we will eschew violence, by and between individuals and groups espousing particular view points, and instead resort to dialogue and debate to push forward agendas and policies that benefit the people. This is to be actuated and strengthened by a desire for justice, which at its barest minimum requires that the first instinct of our institutions of governance should be a solicitous regard for the weakest. In as much as violence cannot be an option to achieve justice for the weakest, there is an existential need for political discourse and debate to be both reasoned and reasonable. This is so, because at any given point of time, not every social goal espoused by every interest group can be pursued. Consequently, the unaddressed social needs and goals would have to be tackled in subsequent iterations of political choices. In order to keep that hope alive, reasonableness is sine qua non – so that even the ones being left behind are left with hope that issues of his/her dignity and necessity will find space in political spotlight. Abusive and violent discourse destroys the capacity to build that hope, and permanently divides people into social groups that are incapable of co-existence.

Neo-liberal economic agenda

The broad model or vision that I just outlined has been virtually demolished by the neo-liberal economic agenda. Over the past few decades we have been told, and it has now become a mainstream idea, that man can only be selfish, that his nature cannot be changed, and hence pursuit of unmitigated self interest the only social value worth pursuing. Even cooperation is to be viewed only in terms of whether it reduces personal costs and/or optimizes returns, and not in terms of any larger vision of belonging to the people as a nation as a whole and existing for larger set of values addressing greatest good for the greatest number. Short run rational fools pursuing only selfish goals are necessarily inimical to the stability of the democratic order, and it destroys the scope of pursuit of justice with the poor and the weakest as the starting point. The Preamble to the Constitution of India begins with the expression, “We, the people of India.” In the present context, as the political economy of “I, Me and Mine” (and at best a very narrow “us”) takes deep root, we have to wonder about what we should ascribe as the content of the expression “We the people of India”.

But if pursuit of purely selfish interests are the sole goals of human action, then what sort of politicians and political discourse would  that promote? The shrillness of the debate, the theatrics of anger and spewing of vitriol are necessarily the consequence of the desire to demonstrate to this or that social group that “one is waging a war by other means” on their behalf against other political formations representing other social groups. One major plank of social choices – regarding the economic sphere – is nearly eliminated from the ambit of socio-political control, and economic actors that are predatory and successful in predation emerge as the favouredpartners of political actors.

Recently reports have emerged that nearly 70% of the national wealth is now concentrated in the hands of a mere 500 or so families. The hero worship of the members of this small group seems to be the sole agenda of mainstream social attention. Article 39(b) of the Constitution of India, a Directive Principle of State Policy – not justiciable and yet foundational to governance of the State – mandates that the State shall take steps to ensure “that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to sub serve the common good”. This mandatory directive was also a warning: that when wealth of the nation is concentrated in the hands of the few the institutions of democracy can easily be hijacked to serve the interests of the few. Given the level of concentration of wealth, we must necessarily ask ourselves as to whether the political institutions haven’t been the hand maidens of the predatory elements of the market economy. Should we not then ask – whose interests have the politicians and political parties been serving, especially over the past few decades?

Inspiration to people to struggle for constitutional goals

There cannot be any controversy that leaders such as Rajeshwar Rao Garu have become all too rare. Yet their lives, we have to necessarily hope, serve as inspirations to the people to struggle for re-strengthening the goals espoused in our Constitution. Let us remember that he began his fight for freedom and justice for the people in a pre-constitutional era when fundamental rights were not available for the people, much less guaranteed. There was no guarantee of freedom of speech. No guaranteed right to freedom of movement. No right to assemble or petition the powers that be for redressal. When rulers and regimes advocate the diminution of these rights, and claim that once they are elected they should not be subject to any criticism, we should necessarily educate the people that those who fought to found the modern nation-state did so to establish those rights and deepen the democratic experience. And to make rulers respond to the people as a nation rather than the interests of the few.JalianwalahBaghs and Razakars become possible when the governance is directed primarily to the benefit of the few.

In the end I end this short speech with a plea: we should take the message of the struggle of remarkable leaders such as Rajeshwar Rao to the masses – not just as hagiographic presentations but as based on thorough contextual reading of the historical and socio-political circumstances under which they waged their struggles for democracy and justice. We do not do enough research, and do not conduct wide ranging analytical studies of relevance of lives of people like him to our present circumstances. I trust that the release of this postal stamp in his honour, and the curated book of his speeches would encourage young scholars to take up such research. There are many lessons for us to learn and this becomes possible only if we are willing to learn from the past.

This is the occasion to reaffirm our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of human person and in the equal rights of men and women and of all states, large and small within the Indian Union.  If you also think that the cherished constitutional values are in peril, defend it with all your might.

 It is said, “unexamined life is not worth living”

I thank the Union of India for its generosity in honouring this great son of Telangana and India.  The gracious presence of Hon’ble Dr. PVS. Reddy Garu, Chief Postmaster General is appreciated with gratitude.  I thank one and all.

Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for your forbearance.

Jai Hind.