Koratala Satyanarayana
Encyclopedia
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was a Politbureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
(CPI(M)).
Childhood
Born into the family of Buchaiah and Sheshamma in Pyaparru village of Amartaluru mandal in Guntur districtGuntur district
Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...
on September 24, 1923, Koratala Satyanarayana had a brother and three sisters. Although born into a feudal family, he stood by the working people and consistently fought for their upliftment. He was one of the key builders of the movement in Guntur district
Guntur district
Guntur district is located in Andhra Pradesh along the east coast of Bay of Bengal. The district has a coastline of around 100 kilometers. Guntur City is the largest city in the district and administrative center of Guntur District. The district is a major center for learning.-Etymology:There are...
.
Political entry and pathway
Koratala Satyanarayana was one of the experienced leaders of the Party in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
who had worked with the first generation builders of the communist movement in the state.
His quest for justice was apparent in his childhood when he went to Turimella high school in 1938–39. A statewide agitation was going on in high schools against the detention system in exams and Koratala was the one who launched it in his school. Despite waging the struggle for 11 days, there was no outcome as the school headmaster was adamant. Koratala went and met Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah BA was an Indian Communist leader who was a member of Politbureau of the Communist Party of India . He was also the editor of the central organ of CPI , People's Democracy magazine...
, a communist leader who was a student leader in Guntur
Guntur
Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
. That was the beginning of his turn towards communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. His cousin and brother-in-law Paturi Subbaiah were active in the freedom movement.
With the headmaster bowing to the demand after the intervention of Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah BA was an Indian Communist leader who was a member of Politbureau of the Communist Party of India . He was also the editor of the central organ of CPI , People's Democracy magazine...
, the strike in the school concluded successfully. Koratala was part of the joint committee of students and teachers formed on students' issues. He was also associated with the bringing out of the school magazine. The drill master of the school was a Leftist and was brother-in-law of Comrade Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao was a Communist party leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India. He was the founder-Editor of the Communist newspaper Prajasakti published from Vijayawada. Prajasakti was brought out as a daily under the leadership of P. Sundarayya and editorship of Moturu Hanumantha...
, who used to keep visiting him. Koratala came in touch with Comrade Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao was a Communist party leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India. He was the founder-Editor of the Communist newspaper Prajasakti published from Vijayawada. Prajasakti was brought out as a daily under the leadership of P. Sundarayya and editorship of Moturu Hanumantha...
during his visits to the school.
The headmaster of the school expired suddenly, leaving behind his family in despair. Koratala led the students in collecting Rs. 5000 from the villagers for the family. With the coming of a new headmaster began the problem of detention system again. Koratala then failed the school-leaving exit exam. With this he shifted his study to Repalle
Repalle
Repalle is a town, mandal and a municipality in Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 28 miles south of Guntur.-Geography:Repalle is located at...
where he became much more active in student union activities, becoming the joint secretary of the student's union. His contacts with communists grew here. He met Comrade L B Gangadhara Rao.
In 1942, Koratala joined A C College in Guntur
Guntur
Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
which was a centre of active student movement. He became the secretary of Students Action Committee and fully immersed himself in student movement. The Quit India movement
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
, police firing in Guntur leading to death of several students, militant agitations etc. marked this period. Comrade Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah
Makineni Basavapunnaiah BA was an Indian Communist leader who was a member of Politbureau of the Communist Party of India . He was also the editor of the central organ of CPI , People's Democracy magazine...
was the secretary of Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...
area student movement and Koratala used to meet him often during agitations. The ban on Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
had just been lifted. Koratala left studies when he was in 10+2 and became fully involved in the movement, particularly in building student and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
units. He became a member of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
in September 1942. He was elected to the district committee of the students union for the first time in 1943. He worked as Guntur city secretary of the student union till 1944. With his parents angry that he was working in the movement, they stopped sending money to him. Comrade Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao
Moturu Hanumantha Rao was a Communist party leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India. He was the founder-Editor of the Communist newspaper Prajasakti published from Vijayawada. Prajasakti was brought out as a daily under the leadership of P. Sundarayya and editorship of Moturu Hanumantha...
then arranged for an allowance to Koratala. He was relieved from student movement in 1945. He came back to Repalle
Repalle
Repalle is a town, mandal and a municipality in Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 28 miles south of Guntur.-Geography:Repalle is located at...
as a Party wholetimer in 1945-46. He married his niece, Sitaratnam, in 1945.
The period from 1946 to 1948 witnessed intense agitations throughout the state and the district. In Repalle
Repalle
Repalle is a town, mandal and a municipality in Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located 28 miles south of Guntur.-Geography:Repalle is located at...
, a big agitation was organised in 15 villages on the issue of increasing wages for agricultural labour. Struggles were conducted on issues concerning various sections of the working people and Koratala was actively involved in these struggles. He was elected to the Taluka committee in 1946 and later to the district committee of the Party in 1947. Despite an arrest warrant being issued against him, Koratala addressed an eight thousand strong public meeting of agricultural labourers. With information provided by the workers of Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, police arrested Koratala in April 1949. They sent him to Bellary
Bellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....
jail first and then shifted him to Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
detention camp.
As a result of the Sino-Soviet split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
in the international communist movement, the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
had faced a split in 1964 and the splinter group named itself as the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
. Comrade Koratala took the side of the CPI(M) during the split.
Electoral representation
In the first general elections held in 1952, Koratala contested as Party candidate from TenaliTenali
Tenali , is a town and a mandal in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, South India. It has a population of 149,839 . It is located 16 miles east of Guntur City. Three canals of the Krishna River flow through Tenali making it a part of the rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh. One of the canals is...
Lok Sabha constituency. He lost with a slender margin of 1100 votes.
Koratala contested for the state assembly election from Repalle constituency continuously from 1962 to 1978 and won twice in 1962, as a member of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
and in 1978, as a member of the CPI(M). He led a team for survey, basing on which the Party adopted a resolution ‘On Certain Agrarian Issues’.
Though not a regular writer, Koratala used to contribute to newspapers depending on the need of the hour.
In 1967 Koratala was first elected to the state committee of the CPI(M) and in 1978 to the state secretariat. He was a member of Party central committee since 1985 till his last breath. He was the Party state secretary between 1991 and 1997. He served as Politbureau member of the Party between 2002 and 2005. He visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
as part of the Party central committee team which toured for 25 days.
Satyanarayana won the Repalle assembly seat in the 1962 and 1978 Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
legislative assembly
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
elections. He used to be the Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee of the CPI(M). Satyanarayana is the chairman of Prajasakti Sahiti Samstha, the publishing house of the CPI(M).