May 14, 2003 had
witnessed the martyrdom of another great leader of the masses in AP— Com.
Yellanki Aruna, the secretary of the district committee of Adilabad. Popularly
known as Lalitha in the CPI(ML) [People’s War] and among the vast masses of
Adilabad, com. Aruna, along with two other woman comrades com. Swarna and
Kamala, died in a fierce encounter with the special police forces of AP on the
edges of the Agarugudem forest in Bejjur mandal. These heroic comrades defended
the squad and facilitated their safe retreat by putting up valiant resistance to
the police offensive.
Com. Lalitha was born
in a poor peasant family in Rangarao Pet village in Mettupalli mandal in
Karimnagar district, She came into touch with revolutionary politics through the
Radical Students Union while studying for her Intermediate course in a college
in Korutla town. She participated actively in RSU activities both in Korutla and
in Nirmal town in Adilabad district where she did her teacher’s training.
Com. Lalita
Though she was
married off at an early age, she left her husband in order to pursue her
revolutionary life. In 1983, she came to an understanding with party organiser
Com. Anand (presently a CC member of PW) and became his life partner. She worked
as a teacher for over three years in various schools in Adilabad district and
became popular among the teachers, students and parents wherever she worked.
While working as a teacher she developed confidence that she can work as a
full-time revolutionary and became a PR in 1988. At a time when women PRs were
still few in number, she offered to work anywhere the Party wanted her to go.
She was sent to Gadchiroli division in Maharashtra (Dandakaranya) to organise
the adivasi women. She became popular in the Korchi, Tipragadh and Beergaon
areas as com. Sadhana and played a major role in mobilizing women widely in the
division. When the women’s teams could not function due to severe police
repression, she worked in the regular squads in Gadchiroli until 1993.. She
taught the illiterate comrades in the squads with utmost patience and pursuance.
She gained the confidence and respect of the cadres through her deep commitment
to the people.
She went to Adilabad,
by the end of 1993 as per the direction of the Party. She joined the Khanapur
squad and soon became its commander. Under her leadership the peasantry was
mobilized in a big way in the area. Later, she led the movement in Chennur area
as a DC member and became quite popular there too. As she became a terror to the
landlords, notorious exploiters and the police forces, they had hatched several
schemes to eliminate her, particularly since 1998. But, the popularity the Party
enjoyed among the masses in the area under her leadership, her leadership
talents and the ability to instill confidence in the squad members and the
masses in face of the severe repression, and the courageous resistance put up
when directly confronted by the police had foiled the attempts of the enemy to
eliminate her. She had survived several encounters with the police. She became
the DCS (District Committee Secretary) at the end of 2001.
Com. Lalitha was
elected as a delegate for the 9th Congress in the state conference of NT. She
participated actively in the Congress despite her ill-health. Until her last
breath she remained an indefatigable fighter. She was an inspiration and a
exemplary model for the Party members and the masses. Notwithstanding the
serious losses faced by the movement in Adilabad, she continued to rouse the
people into struggles till her last breath and guided the squad members
confidently during the most difficult times. She gave leadership to the
guerrillas in the resistance to the enemy offensives and successfully repulsed
the enemy attacks several times. Her concern for the oppressed women is worth
mentioning. She had studied deeply the hurdles that came in the way of
participation of women in the armed struggle and gave special emphasis on
mobilizing them. She used to go from house to house in the villages to mobilize
women and succeeded in bringing the women folk into the revolutionary movement
in Adilabad and earlier in Gadchiroli. She fought relentlessly against all forms
of patriarchy in the Party and had contributed greatly to the movement against
patriarchal values in the Party and in the society.
Com. Lalitha is a
bright red star that fell while fighting heroically along with Swarna and Kamala
in the flaming forests of Adilabad. She will remain an inspiration forever to
the revolutionary fighters and masses of AP, particularly to the vast masses of
women who are groaning under the dead-weight of feudal and imperialist
oppression.
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