Former Minister and three time TDP MLA Patnam Subbaiah died of cardiac arrest at his native Kothapalle village in Irala mandal of Chittoor district on Friday.
A medical practitioner, Patnam Subbaiah responded to the call given by TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao to professionals and joined the party. Once given a ticket, he got elected from Palamaner Assembly constituency during 1985-1999. He served as the Minister for Civil Supplies and Health in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Dalit leader’s charisma started waning after Nara Chandrababu Naidu took over the party. Mr. Naidu, who was known for his penchant for experimenting with new faces, preferred Lalitha Kumari to Dr. Subbaiah in 1999 elections, which marked the end of his active political career.
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He drifted to the BJP and back to the TDP in the recent years, but it served him no purpose. Known as a man of the masses and a leader accessible to his constituents, he spent the life of a common man during his last days.