The death of veteran Kapu leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Mudragada Padmanabham has triggered a fresh political battle between the ruling TDP-led NDA coalition and the opposition YSR Congress Party over the conduct of his last rites.
Soon after Mudragada’s demise, the Andhra Pradesh government announced that his funeral would be conducted with full state honours.
TDP president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reportedly took the decision after consulting Jana Sena Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
Naidu directed officials to make the necessary arrangements in recognition of Mudragada’s long public career as a four-time MLA, former Lok Sabha member and Cabinet minister.
The decision was widely viewed as an attempt by the ruling coalition to acknowledge Mudragada’s political stature and his influence within the Kapu community, despite his strained relationship with the TDP over the years.
Mudragada spearheaded the Kapu reservation movement during the TDP government’s previous tenure and emerged as one of Chandrababu Naidu’s fiercest critics. He later joined the YSRCP ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections.
The coalition government’s move also carries political significance because Pawan Kalyan, who heads the Jana Sena Party, has consistently projected himself as a key representative of the Kapu community.
Extending state honours to Mudragada was seen in political circles as an effort to send a message that the coalition respects leaders who have contributed to public life, irrespective of political differences.
However, Mudragada’s family declined the government’s offer of state honours.
His son, Giri Babu, who is seen as a potential YSRCP candidate in the next elections, announced that the last rites would be conducted privately at their native village of Kirlampudi, without official ceremonial honours.
Sources claimed that although a funeral with state honours would have ensured a respectful farewell, the family was under pressure from the YSRCP to reject the offer and prevent the ruling coalition from gaining political mileage among Kapu voters.
Interestingly, Mudragada’s daughter, Kranti, also faced difficulties when she arrived in Kirlampudi to pay her last respects to her father.
She was reportedly prevented by some of Mudragada’s supporters from approaching his mortal remains.
She later reached the venue under police protection and paid her final respects from a distance before leaving, as some supporters raised slogans against her. They were reportedly unhappy with Kranti’s decision to join the Jana Sena Party against her father’s wishes.
With Kapus constituting a significant voting bloc in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Mudragada’s passing has once again brought the community’s political importance into sharp focus.
