Page 123 - Demo

PVG Raju must have been an enigma to them. Here was this scion of a royal family sleeping on the floor when he had several palaces with the most aesthetic comfortable furniture; eating with common people when he had been accustomed to the fanciest food in his palaces; travelling rough-shod when he had had women lay out their saris on the bare ground in Vizianagaram so that his feet should not touch it; walking miles in unpleasant weather when he had a Rolls Royce and several cars in his palaces, his father even owning two planes. Yet he never let on that these lack of creature comforts discomfited him in any way. PVG Raju was elected in 1952 to the composite Madras state assembly from Vizianagaram, the Andhra area Socialists winning 5 of the 13 seats won by the party. The Socialists while split between the Kisan Mazdoor Party, Krishikar Lok Party and the Socialist Party together won 63 seats in the 367 strong Madras Assembly. He won in 1955 to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Praja Socialist Party from Vizianagaram. In these elections too, the Socialist Bloc did well with 35 of the 96 seats. Of the 13 won by the PSP, 9 were around Vizianagaram due to PVG Raju's influence.All through, PVG Raju was in close touch with his friends in Chennai, the friends had frequent vehement arguments. They included his friend from college MS Apparao and his brothers MR Apparao and MVG Apparao. The others were a Hindi author Aragapudi Ramesh Chowdhury, Kumar Raja of Bobbili RVGK Rangarao (also called Gopal), ER Desikan and Pasala Surya Chandra Rao. P Ram Reddy and KS Reddy who were his advocates throughout in all his legal cases were also his good friends. 113