Hyderabad: The Congress has demanded construction of a memorial of former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy here.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A. Revanth Reddy made the demand after paying tributes to the late leader on his 73rd birth anniversary.
Revanth Reddy, along with former MP and Rajasekhara Reddy’s close friend K. V. P. Ramachandra Rao, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Mohammed Ali Shabbir, party’s national spokesperson Dasoju Sravan and others paid tributes to YSR by garlanding his statue at Panjagutta.
Revanth Reddy, who is also a member of Parliament, urged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao to build a memorial for former chief minister YSR in Hyderabad.
“I request the chief minister to construct a memorial for YSR in Hyderabad on the lines of memorials built for former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao and former chief ministers N. T. Rama Rao and M. Chenna Reddy,” he said.
The TPCC chief said that if the present Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government fails to build a memorial for YSR, the Congress party will do it after coming to power in the state. He exuded confidence that the Congress party will come to power within a year.
Revanth Reddy also stated that YSR will rest in peace only after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister. He recalled that the late leader had the dream of seeing Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister.
Terming YSR a “great” leader, the state Congress president said they would continue to follow his ideals. He said YSR treated welfare and development as his two eyes and led Andhra Pradesh on the path of progress.
Vikramarka recalled YSR initiated many revolutionary welfare schemes like social security pensions, Rajiv Arogyasri and fee reimbursement for poor and weaker sections of society.
Mohammed Ali Shabbir said YSR will live in the hearts of people. He said the late leader took several measures for socio-economic development of minorities, SCs, STs, BCs, and farmers labourers will always be remembered.
The former minister recalled that it was YSR which provided reservation for minorities and extended financial assistance for overseas education of Muslim students.
–IANS