G. V. Sreerama Reddy
G. V. Sreerama Reddy is the CPI(M) candidate for the Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka for the general elections to the 16th Lok Sabha, scheduled to be held on 17th April, 2014. He is presently the Secretary of Karnataka State Committee of the CPI(M) and also member of its Central Committee. He represented Bagepalli Assembly constituency twice in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, in 1994 and in 2000. GVS, as he is known in the Party circles, has behind him a record of public life spanning over four decades in the service of the people. He was drawn into the democratic movement during his student days and became one of the founding leaders of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) in Karnataka. He played a prominent role as a student leader in the famous land struggle in the erstwhile undivided Kolar district initiated by the legendary leader Comrade A.K. Gopalan. He later worked among the youth and was a founding leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) in Karnataka. In 1985 he was assigned by the Party to work at Bagepalli to succeed the then CPI(M) MLA, Comrade Appaswamy Reddy. Ever since then, he has been working in that area among the people in building people’s movement. He also led the Party in the undivided Kolar district and after its bifurcation, he became the Secretary of the Party in the newly formed Chikkaballapur district until he was elected as the State Secretary of the Party in 2012. He was elected to the Central Committee in the 20th Party Congress. As a legislator, representing Bagepalli constituency, he was the sole voice in Karnataka Assembly in defence of working people and against exploitation. In 1997, he effectively raised the issue of the loot carried out by the Granite lobby, which saved approximately Rs. 360 crores annually to the exchequer. He also raised the issue of irregular acquisition of lands of the peasants for the infamous NICE road linking Bangalore with Mysore. Another important intervention by GVS was on the issue of unbridled loot of the iron ores of the state by the Mining mafia,, which reached its peak during the BJP rule in the state, and which continues to haunt the sate. His pioneering effort in raising the issue of encroachment of government lands in Bangalore led to the appointment of a Joint Legislature Committee under the chairmanship of Shri A.T. Ramaswamy of which he was a member. This Committee unearthed around 34,000 acres of prime land worth at least Rs. 1,40,000 crores that was encroached upon.
Chikkaballapur is one of the nine districts in Karnataka which are perennially drought-prone. Groundwater level here has depleted even below one thousand feet. Sensing the danger of this area turning into a desert, the Party with the initiative of GVS began a movement for permanent irrigation project. A ‘Permanent Irrigation Struggle Committee’ was formed which is spearheading a people’s movement mobilizing all sections of people in the district. Now, every political party and political leader is forced to speak about ‘Permanent Irrigation Project’. CPI(M) is in the forefront of struggles to protect the people of all religions, castes, and communities. Exploitation of Dalits, Minorities, women are continuously being fought against by the CPI(M) in Karnataka. CPI(M) also has a credible history in fighting communalism of both majority and minority com munities, as also against superstitious and regressive social practices like Made Snana and Pankthi bheda. As State Secretary of CPI(M), GVS is leading from the front all these struggles.