As sledgehammers brought down the house, in which late Congress MLA Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga lived on M.G. Road, many turned nostalgic for the building was witness to several historic political and people’s movements.
The VMC, in its drive to pull down dilapidated structures in city dismantled it on Thursday. Popularly known as “building” or “Daba”, the house acted as catalyst for several political movements in the 1970s and ‘80s. Political career of Ranga began from this building. He intensified students’ union activities by launching an outfit - United Independents (UI).
He won as a corporator and strengthened trade union activities from this house. Several top leaders like former Union Minister P. Siva Shankar, former Chief Ministers Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy used to frequent the house, recollect diehard followers of Ranga. Some of the Congress leaders like Malladi Vishnu, Kanna Laxminarayana, Adapa Nagendra and late Jakkampidi Rama Mohana Rao also frequented this place.
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Vangaveeti Ranga launched many agitations from this house when he was out of power.
During Telugu Desam rule, he took on the then Superintendent of Police Vyas and the TDP leaders relentlessly and his house was under constant surveillance by the Intelligence Department.
Whenever college students used to look at the building, it added a tinge of mystery in those days. The house witnessed hectic activities when the first-ever Kapunadu was held in Vijayawada with leaders of that community pouring in from all parts of the State.
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