Uppalapati Chalapathi Rao, 103, said to be among the last freedom fighters hailing from Krishna district, breathed his last in the early hours of Tuesday (March 31) at Poranki n Vijayawada.
Mr. Chalapathi Rao is survived by two daughters and a son. His nephew is N. Bhaskara Rao, founder chairman of the Centre for Media Studies in New Delhi.
Mr. Chalapathi Rao was known for his active role as a freedom fighter and then as a progressive liberal in the Congress Party. He was also one of the first few in the country to refuse the freedom fighter pension offered by the Union Government.
In 1953-54, Mr. Chalapathi Rao was instrumental in founding one of the early consumer cooperative societies at Mudunuru, the village where he was born and where his father Uppalapati Brahmayya, a prominent name in the region, built a high school which still stands. Influenced by social reformer Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (Gora), Mr. Chalapathi Rao promoted and followed simple living and honesty in public and political affairs.
He raised his voice against group politics in the Congress in 1955-60 and refused to succumb to caste and money pressures. The then Zilla Board Chairman, Kakani Venkatratnam, recognised his integrity and entrusted him the responsibility of ensuring justice to the poor at the grassroots.
He was also actively engaged in the construction of the Krishna District Freedom Fighters building at Bander locks in the city, over two decades ago, and was in constant touch with national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
