Often described in Telugu as 'praja yuddha nouka' (war ship of people's agitations), he had survived a bid on his life when assailants shot at him in the 1990s. However, a bullet got stuck in his spinal cord, with which he lived till the end.
“[Gaddar’s] love for the people of Telangana drove him to fight tirelessly for the marginalised. May his legacy continue to inspire us all,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said.
Gaddar’s popular songs told stories of the state’s exploitation of marginalised communities, and played a key role in the Telangana statehood agitation and the Maoist movement in the region.