The Seeds of Anti Brahminism and Caste Divide in Andhra Politics.
(AND AN UNLIKELY HERO OF CHANGE TANGUTURI PRAKSAM PANTHULU)
BY VED AITHARAJU.
The elections for APCC President of the Congress Party in 1931 sowed the seeds of feudal caste groups exercising their right of dominance against Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu. The back door lobbying and efforts to ensure Prakasam is defeated because he hailed from a Niyogi Brahmin family in the election. To the climax of the APCC Elections in 1951, where NG Ranga an intellectual leader who was hounded and defeated by a feudalistic Reddy lobby due to him from a Kamma family, and him backed by Prakasam. Through which, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy a patron of the feudalistic Reddy lobby took power. Resulting in the dominance of a feudalistic casteist lobby exercising its right over power in the State, and pushing social and political change back by decades. With lobbies scampering for caste dominance over policy.
Analyzing the genesis of feudal and casteist interests over taking the interests of policy, ideology and talent in Andhra Politics is more important than ever in the current circumstances. As decisions of policy too are still being taken considering a factor of caste in a political angle.
In the run up to the APCC President Elections of the Congress Party in 1931. Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, a stalwart freedom fighter and affluent lawyer who was born into a poor non feudal Niyogi Brahmin family, to a mother who worked hard to educate him by running a boarding lodge was chosen by the Reception Committee of the Andhra Pradesh Provincial Committee to be the APCC Chief.
Prakasam was not only choose for this fierce nationalism and his dedication to public service, abandoning a highly successful law career and a life of immense wealth he had garnered through his hard work as a barrister. It was also because he was an inspiring leader known for organizing the Non Cooperation movement in 1922 in Guntur with 30,000 Congress volunteers.
But alas, casteist interests took over his merit. Just months into his presidency, non Brahmin feudal caste leaders who detested his non feudal and Brahmin origin pushed forward a vehement communal angle. And begin applying pressure to dethrone him from his position. The Non Brahmin Upper Caste Feudal Leaders of Krishna, Guntur and West Godavari districts begin backing Kumararaja of Gampalagudem, a fellow feudal lord of the non Brahmin upper caste.
Tanguturi being the idealist he is. Perhaps not wanting back door lobbies and casteist fights hijacking his policies and his tenure handed over the charge of APCC Presidentship to Kumararaja.
A leader of achievement, merit, and fierce nationalism. A man who had given up much of his personal wealth to public service and the Congress party. Decided to give up his rightful earned position of power to nitwit interests of feudalistic casteist chauvinism. That was perhaps the first movement in modern Andhra politics, that laid the seeds of caste winning over merit.
Prakasam later went on to become the Prime Minister of the Madras Presidency in 1946 , but due to the same ongoing caste hatred for his non feudal minority background. He ultimately relinquished that post with pressure from Mahatma Gandhi. Though being backed Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitamramyya another stalwart leader in the Andhra Congress, and a fellow Niyogi Brahmin who had risen by his sheer hardwork from the bottom up. Tanguturi was plagued by his Niyogi Brahmin identity. By early 1940s, Andhra Congress spilt into two groups, namely Brahmin and Non Brahmin Feudal ( majorly those of the Reddy caste). With non Feudal and Brahmin leaders facing stern opposition from Non Brahmin Upper Caste Feudal Lords.
In 1951, Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu made the last effort to counter the growing casteism in the party. He tried to fight out the casteist feudalistic leaders filled with arrogance by roping in NG Ranga. NG Ranga too had hailed from a non feudal minority caste group (the Kammas). Ranga like Prakasam, had risen from a peasant background studying in Oxford and later becoming a Professor of Economics. He was a backer of the Peasants and their struggle, and later one went on to be considered as the father of the Indian Peasant Movement. Prakasam, and Bhogaraju both backed N.G. Ranga for the position of APCC President.
NG Ranga, much akin to Prakasam in 1931. Was a man of merit. But. The feudalistic casteist elements within the Andhra Congress, touted Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy as their candidate. As he was, for them. A fellow Reddy landlord, from a well to do feudal upper caste family from Rayalaseema.
Though on an idealistic, meritocratic scale. NG Ranga was touted to win the election. Neelam, backed by the all mighty powerful feudalistic lobby had won the election.
Part of the feudal lobby’s increased opposition against Prakasam, therefore against the candidate Ranga he backed stemmed from Prakasam’s efforts in C. Rajagopalachari’s cabinet a few years ago.
In 1937, when Congress won the elections in Madras Presidency. Prakasam was made the Revenue Minister by C Rajaopalachari, who also ensured he headed the Zamindari Abolition Committee. As part of his job, Prakasam authored a controversial report known as the Prakasam Report. The report recommended that the tiller of the soil should become the owner replacing all middlemen. This not only irked the affluent feudal lords in the party who were already in hatred with Prakasam’s caste identity of being a Brahmin. But made Prakasam, a hostile threat to their economic dominance, and their oppression and exploitation of the masses.
All of their passionate hatred for Prakasam, his ideology, his identity, his origins grew into an avalanche. Ultimately resulting in the Non Brahmin, Feudal Upper Caste Reddy Lords and their lobbies’ best efforts to ensure even NG Ranga lost.
The loss of Ranga, and the loss of Prakasam ensured caste reform would have to wait in Andhra politics for decades. The remaining intellectuals who rose from poor non feudal backgrounds and hailed from Brahmin families begin ultimately residing into hollowness. The Kammas, a non feudal caste who climbed up the ladders of prosperity with the onset of capitalism and pled allegiance to the Justice Party at first, immediately switched over to the Communist party mostly as donors, and not jumping into active politics as leaders after the loss of NG Ranga. Ranga himself quit the Congress shortly and joined the Swatantra Party established by C. Rajagopalachari.
Till 1983, from 1951 the seat of power in Andhra Pradesh remained with the feudal Reddy caste lobby. At except only three brief intervals (Damodar Sanjeeviah for two years as Chief Minister) and (PV Narasimha Rao for two years as Chief Minister) and (Jalagam Vengal Rao for five years)
The death of meritocracy, achievement and effort by the hands of casteism feudalistic arrogance in early Andhra politics is an important lesson for all of us. Policy and Merit should always ideally matter over casteist interests. But sadly hasn’t caste interests always triumphed over matters of policy ever since the inception of the new Andhra residual state?
Historical Source:
Andhra Kesari- Tanguturi Praksam Panthulu by Lok Sabha SECRETARIAT
May 2000.
