Hyderabad: Rama Rao, former minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao, was commemorated on his 98th birthday on Friday with the leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) reiterating the demand to award Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. .
TDP national president and former prime minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh, grandson Devansh and other family members and party leaders paid tribute to Rama Rao at the NTR Ghat on the shores of Lake Hussain Sagar here.
Chandrababu Naidu, who is son-in-law of the late leader, said NTR will remain a rich heritage and legacy for the Telugu people forever.
He said the late leader will always be remembered for his contributions to politics and films.
“NTR will not only be an inspiration for this generation, but also for future generations,” Naidu said. Later, Naidu addressed ‘Mahanadu’ or an annual TDP conclave via video conferencing, recalling how NTR left an unforgettable impression on the Telugu-speaking people around the world with his great achievements.
Born into an ordinary family, NTR rose to the greatest heights in film and political careers and became a ‘Yugpurush’ for the people.
The TDP chief said that NTR was not just one person, but only an institution, and Naidu remembered how NTR excelled in whatever he undertook, and that he not only acted in the movies, but that he actually lived in the characters he portrayed.
NTR, after entering politics, has introduced many programs that meet the basic needs of the population. He used foresight and pragmatism to make decisions to pass on benefits to the deserving people.
Naidu claims that NTR’s life and career have made the average Telugu man proud.
Everyone should remember the contributions of the NTR and draw inspiration from them to provide the best service to the people.
NTR has shown the world that power and authority are not meant for one’s pleasure, but that they are something to be used to provide greater service to the public.
The TDP chief said that NTR never compromised or came to rest before the set goals were achieved.
“He even made impossible tasks possible with his determination,” Naidu said.
The TDP leader said it was Naidu who introduced the concept of Gurukul schools and launched housing schemes for the poor.
NTR’s second wife Lakshmi Parvathi, actor son and MLA N. Balakrishna and other family members paid tribute to NTR Ghat.
NTR’s other son, N. Ramakrishna, released a video saying he and his family members could not visit NTR Ghat to pay tribute due to the Covid pandemic.
Meanwhile, senior TDP leader and former union minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju reiterated the demand that Bharat Ratna be awarded posthumously to NTR.
He recalled that the founder of the TDP strived for the removal of the backward and weaker parts and always strived for the decentralization and strengthening of the federal system.
NTR launched TDP in 1982 on the slogan of Telugu self-respect and set a kind of record by coming to power within nine months and ending the single party government of Congress in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
He died on January 18, 1996, a few months after Chandrababu Naidu led an uprising against him and became prime minister.
Source: The Siasat Daily