A Review on Freedom Movement in Andhra Pradesh
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International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-7(1), July, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 A review on Freedom movement in Andhra Pradesh V. Narasimha Swamy Lecturer in History, P R Govt College(A) Kakinada East Godavari Dt. Abstract: The role of the Andhras in the Freedom Struggle is next to that of none and they had always been in the forefront along with the rest of the countrymen. The first War of Independence in A.D.1857 did in no way affect the state of affairs in the south, though ripples were felt in the State of Hyderabad, in the shape of a raid by Rohilla and Arab soldiers against the Residency and a rebellion by the Gonds in the Adilabad district under the leadership of Ramji Gond. However, in A.D.1860, the English suppressed all these rebellions. Key words: Freedom Struggle, poligars, East India Company, Non-Cooperation Introduction Tenali in 1938, 'Quit India' movement in Tenali, Bhimavaram and Guntur, and A struggle which was nonviolent pitted 'Join India movement in Hyderabad and the moral strength of a subjugated nation others. against the might of a colonial power to In fact, the entire State was agog emerge victorious as a free land. We with the fervour for freedom so much present history of the national movement that several of them had laid down their in States and also regional agitations, lives in the process. which proved to be a milestone in the country's freedom struggle. This is an Resistance of Poligars opportune moment to recreate the past and learn from the experience of these The poligars of Rayalaseema backed events. by people of the region were a terror to the British. According to the data Clamour for freedom throughout the available, there were 80 poligars in country and the patriotic fervour of the Rayalaseema in 1800, who had refused to nation were reflected in no small measure accept the authority of the Englishman. in Andhra Pradesh. They were part of the The then principal collector of the region, nation's determination to get the British Thomas Munroe, ordered the poligars to out of India and free the motherland lay down their arms and pay cess to the from the shackles of foreign East India Company. They refused to rule. Prominent among these freedom budge and Munroe had to slog for 18 struggles were the revolt in Rayalseema months before they could be brought in 1800, No Tax campaign in Cherala and under control. Perala in 1919, Rampa Revolt in East Godavari district led by Alluri Sitharama A patriot poligar, Narasimha Reddy Raju in 1921, 'Simon Go Back' campaign of Kurnool district, rebelled and attacked in 1927 in Vijayawada and Ongole, Civil the treasury at Koilakuntla and marched Disobedience Movement and Salt towards Cumbam. Capt. Holt tried to nab satyagraha in Dendulur district of West him but Reddy managed to give him a Godavari in 1930, the Left movement at slip and moved over to the then Nizam www.ijar.org.in 103 International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-7(1), July, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 State. After six weeks, he was caught and Non Cooperation Movement attained hanged in the full view of the people at its greatest strength in the Andhra delta Koilakuntla. region, with outstanding leaders like Konda Venkatapayya, A Kaleswara Rao, Munroe then ordered the take-over of T Prakasam and Pattabhi Sitaramayya properties of all the poligars and among others. Among the highlights of introduced a scheme of permanent land the Andhra upsurge, as part of the settlement in the region. freedom movement, people of the No Tax Campaign Palnadu area of Guntur district launched a non-cooperation movement to resent the attitude of the then government, in Chirala and Perala, the two tiny preventing them from grazing their cattle villages, then in Guntur district and in the adjacent fields. The area was in the noted for production of handloom sarees grip of severe drought in 1921, for a long carved out a niche for themselves in the time. history of freedom struggle.The two villages had a population of 15,000 with a The people refused to cooperate with revenue of Rs. 4000. the officials and imposed a social boycott. When veteran freedom fighter Unnava Lakshminarayana and Vedantam The then Madras Government Narasimhachari visited the area for decided to elevate them to the status of assessment of the situation they were municipalities in 1919 with the intention arrested. Resenting the police action, of collecting Rs. 40,000 as tax. The people organised a successful bandh in middle class segment of the villages the area for a week. Konda revolted against the proposal and Venkatappaiah, popularly known as launched a no-tax campaign under the 'Desabhakta', urged people to cooperate leadership of Duggirala with the government but boycott the Gopalakrishnaiah. He formed a group of official socially. Kannaganti Hanimanthu volunteers under the banner of 'Rama was leading a no-tax campaign later was Dandu'. killed in police firing. Since then, the Mahatma Gandhi, who visited the movement subsided. area, directed people to leave the villages The incidents that took place at and settle down elsewhere so that the Pedanandipadu in Bapatla taluk of Government will not be able to collect the Guntur district during the no-tax taxes. About 13,000 people left the campaign as part of freedom struggle villages and lived at a camp, Ramnagar, rocked the British Empire. Parvataneni for eleven months. The Government cut Veeraiah Choudhary, a veteran freedom the revolt to size by arresting fighter, led a non-tax campaign. While Gopalakrishnaiah. The campaign literally the officials were not collecting the land shook the legislature but fizzled out once revenue, people were directed not to pay Gopalakrishnaiah was arrested. taxes. Harris, a revenue board member, sent by the government, reported that Non-Cooperation Movement the situation was out of control and www.ijar.org.in 104 International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-7(1), July, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 might lead to a revolt as people were told At this point of time, treacherous not to resume duties and pay taxes. persons aided the British to apprehend Seetharama Raju and ultimately Jamedar However, the movement was Kanchu Menon succeeded in arresting discontinued on the advice of Gandhiji, Seetharama Raju on May 7, 1924. He who wrote to Venkatappaiah to call off brought him to Kayyuru and shot him the campaign. dead. Thus, the 'Rampa Rebellion' as Rampa Revolt the revolt was known, ended with the killing of the great warrior. Alluri Seetharama Raju, a legendary hero of Andhra Pradesh, virtually declared a war against the British. He The Simon Commission, which carried out his campaign against the toured India in 1927, had a taste of the British in the agency areas of East will of the people when it visited Godavari and Visakhapatnam district. Vijayawada and Ongole. At Inspired with a patriotic zeal from the Vijayawada, the municipality had passed revolutionaries of Bengal and the a resolution asking Simon and company decisions taken by them at a meeting in to go back, as part of the nation-wide Chittagong in 1921, he raised a number boycott of the Commission, which was of police outposts in and around sent to India to review the reforms Chintapalli, Krishnadevipeta and initiated by Montague and Chelmsford. Rajavommangi, killing several British An envelope was passed on to Simon. As army officers, including the ruthless he opened it, he found a paper in it with Scott the slogan 'Simon Go Back'. Coward and Hites, near Damanapalli. The British then deployed Malabar special police near Pedagaddapalem, in December 1922. The clarion call of Gandhiji for Civil Seetharama Raju, who went underground Disobedience movement through Salt since then, surfaced again after about satyagraha had caused intense tremors of four months and continued the fight patriotism in Andhra Pradesh. Among strengthened by tribal volunteers. He the veterans who took part in the was ably assisted by valiant Mallu Dora movement were Kasinadhuni Nageswara and Gantam Dora. His forces attacked Rao, Tanuguturi Prakasam, Gade Annavaran police outpost on September Rangaiah Naidu, V.L. Sastri and 18, 1923. Subsequently, Mallu Dora was Durgabai Deshmukh. In this process, arrested. a small village in West Gadavari district, Dendulur, stood out prominently, though The Government entrusted the task the event was violent, which was not the of containing the hero's activities to code of Gandhiji? About 150 persons Rutherford. The first salvo was fired by attacked the town's railway station and Rutherford when his forces arrested set it ablaze. They raised patriotic Pericherla Suryanarayana Raju, slogans. popularly known as Aggirju, a strong follower of Seetaramaraju. www.ijar.org.in 105 International Journal of Academic Research ISSN: 2348-7666; Vol.6, Issue-7(1), July, 2019 Impact Factor: 6.023 Students in Andhra Pradesh had West Godavari district, the situation was been actively participating in the freedom similar on August 17, the police, of movement. Inspired by the speeches of course, opened fire at both the places. Bipin Chandra, students of Rajahmundry participated in the 'Vandemataram movement. In 1938, students of Osmania Popular awakening took place in University carried further the Telangana region during 1937-1945 with 'Vandemataram' movement. An order was the formation of the Andhra issued on November 28, 1938, prohibiting Mahasabha. People of the former students from singing the national song Hyderabad State, were keen on joining at the university hostel campus. The the Indian Union as the then Nizam was students appealed to the Vice-chancellor frantically trying to keep the State to lift the ban but it was turned down.