Four-time MLA Uppala Malsur died in poverty – his family still waits for a house
Suryapet: At a time when many politicians amass generational wealth after a single term in office, the life of Uppala Malsur, a four-time MLA from the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, stands as a stark contrast – a tale of simplicity, sacrifice, and eventual neglect.
Born in 1928 into a Dalit family in Sirikonda village of Mothey mandal, Suryapet district, Malsur never owned a house of his own despite serving as MLA for four consecutive terms starting from the first Assembly elections of Hyderabad State. Today, his dilapidated house shelters his younger daughter-in-law, Poolamma, who survives as a daily wage labourer. The house, barely standing, has become a symbol of forgotten political honesty in modern India.
Malsur was a follower of communist ideals from his early days and closely associated with leaders like Puchalapalli Sundarayya, B.N. Reddy, and Maddikayala Omkar. He actively participated in the Telangana Armed Struggle against the Razakars. He contested elections on behalf of the People’s Democratic Front in 1952 and 1957, CPI in 1962, and CPM in 1967 – winning all four times. He lost his fifth attempt in 1972 to Congress candidate Edla Gopayya.
Despite his stature, Malsur never distanced himself from the common man. He travelled to Assembly sessions by bus, often walked barefoot to Mothey and then boarded public transport to Hyderabad. Always carrying a small satchel that contained his MLA stamp, he would attend to public grievances on the spot. When approached by villagers with issues, he would stamp and sign wherever he was and direct them to concerned officials for redressal.
Such was his commitment to the people that he donated his two-gunta land to the village government school. Even after serving as an MLA, he contested and won as an independent sarpanch of Sirikonda before passing away while still in office on January 13, 1999. Until his last days, he stitched footwear for a living.
His daughter Komuramma, now the eldest surviving family member, recounted his minimalism. “He used to walk to Mothey and take a bus to Hyderabad. After attending Assembly, he would donate ₹150 out of the ₹250 daily allowance to the party and bring back the rest for our family,” she said. “Despite four terms as MLA, we could never build a house. We stayed in a house constructed by his sister Bashapangu Narsamma. We still don’t own a home.”
His wife, Lachamma, used to receive a government pension, which was abruptly stopped for two years due to a lack of a ‘live certificate.’ It was only after a report in a leading newspaper that an official from the state Secretariat visited and handed over the arrears.
Although previous governments promised a double-bedroom house under welfare schemes, nothing materialised. The family has now applied for an Indiramma house under the Congress government’s new housing scheme, but they were left out of the first phase. “Officials promised many things when this issue was reported earlier, but no one ever came back,” said Poolamma with visible disappointment.
Now, MLC Addanki Dayakar has stepped in to draw attention to the family’s plight. Speaking to media in Nemmikal, he said it was shameful that a leader who represented people four times in the Assembly lived and died without a home of his own. He vowed to escalate the matter to Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and MLA Padmavathi Reddy to ensure the family is granted a house.
Dayakar also said he was personally inspired by Malsur’s life and would extend his support to the family. “The government has a moral responsibility to support the family of such an exemplary leader,” he said.
Uppala Malsur’s life remains a rare political biography – uncorrupted by wealth, devoted to service, and tragically forgotten by the very system he once helped build. His legacy, though unmarked by monuments, stands tall in the values he lived by.