Vijayawada: IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh Saturday renewed the pitch for Bharat Ratna to TDP founder and former chief minister NT Rama Rao on his 29th death anniversary.
After paying tributes at NTR Ghat along with his mother Bhuvaneswari, Lokesh said the demand to confer Bharat Ratna upon NTR for his services in politics and arts is a long-pending demand. “We are discussing with the Union govt, and are hopeful of getting it this time,” said Lokesh.
Lokesh was all praise for his late maternal grandfather, and said that the name NTR is not just three letters but a phenomenon in the lives of Telugu people. From being called Madrasis, NTR fought for Telugu identity and made Telugu people proud by making their voice heard in Delhi.
Referring to the ongoing membership drive, Lokesh said TDP, which started with one person, has now become a family of 10 million. He observed that under the leadership of CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh is back on the development track.
“NTR initiated revolutionary changes in governance by abolishing the Patel and Patwari systems,” he said and added that the TDP founder introduced several reforms including granting of equal property rights for women. The reforms introduced by NTR were not just aimed at alleviating hunger but ensured housing and clothing for the poor. Taking his ideals forward, we are implementing new schemes in AP for the benefit of the poor, he said.
The TDP national general secretary said that there is a need to rebuild the party in Telangana. He noted that as many as 1.6 lakh people voluntarily took membership in Telangana. “In the past, Telangana used to have the highest membership. We will soon announce a future action plan for the revival of the party in Telangana,” he said. Senior Telangana TDP leaders Bakkani Narsimulu, Aravind Kumar Goud, and others participated in the programme.
