In an interview given to a popular web-based channel, Anantpur politician Topudurthy Prakash Reddy made an interesting statement.

Prakash Reddy opined that Maddelacheruvu Suri’s murder would not have been possible without the involvement of Rayalaseema leaders.

The general version on Suri’s murder is that Bhanu Kiran killed him as he had perceived a threat to his life from Suri. However, in all likelihood, this is just a concocted version for public consumption.

Bhanu Kiran was living life king-size as the right-hand of Suri. Money, women, power! Bhanu had access to all of these as long as Suri was alive.

If Suri was gone from the scene, Bhanu was finished! Why therefore would he kill the goose that laid the golden eggs?

Suri had plenty of enemies; primarily the Paritala family. But the Congress government was in power at the time of Suri’s murder and it is difficult to believe that the Paritala family could have orchestrated Suri’s murder without the government on their side.

He also had differences with the JC brothers but everything was sorted out amicably between them and Suri had even attended a dinner party thrown in his honour at JC Prabhakar Reddy’s house.

As for the YS family, YS Rajasekhar Reddy was immensely fond of Suri. He appreciated Suri for the latter’s daring and courage and sympathized with him for having lost his entire family in the TV bomb blast triggered by the Paritala family.

But for YSR, Suri wouldn’t have got bail. But there are reports of differences that had cropped up between Suri and Mangal Krishna, a key aide of YS Jagan’s. Could he have given the order for the hit on Suri? Highly unlikely given the nature of relationship between YSR and Suri!

Therefore, if Prakash Reddy’s statement was to be believed, who in Rayalaseema would have wanted Suri dead?