Dalits lost their guide, says Katti

HYDERABAD: The Dalit Movement in the state has lost its guide and philosopher in the death of former revolutionary leader KG Satyamurthy, AP Dalita Mahasabha general secretary Katti Padma Rao has said.In a tribute to the revolutionary leader who died at his home near Vijayawada on Tuesday, Rao recalled that Satyamurthy had, apart from leading the Naxalite movement, helped the Dalit movement expand its base in the state. Murthy had firmly believed that the revolutionary movement could not be complete without studying Dr BR Ambedkar and made it clear that like Lenin, Marx and Engels, Ambedkar too was a visionary for the world.Just like Ambedkar questioned the dominance of Brahmanical forces in politics and other fields, Satyamurthy opposed the dominance of upper castes in the revolutionary movement too. He made it clear that revolution did not just mean carrying weapons and called for revolution in every field _ literature, culture and others."After coming overground, Satyamurthy visited my house first. We discussed the caste-based society and shared our thoughts. I adopted  Satyamurthy's ideas while conducting the Dalit movement. He played a significant role in the two top movements in the state - Revolutionary and Dalit. He was a father figure to me. He was very sensitive and always greeted people with a friendly smile. He was a guide and philosopher to the Dalit movement,'' Padma Rao concluded.