Amaravati, Dec 15 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday paid rich tributes to Amarajeevi Potti Sriramulu on his death anniversary.

The Governor said Potti Sriramulu was a legendary freedom fighter whose life and sacrifice exemplified courage, determination, and devotion to the aspirations of the Telugu people. His legacy will forever remain etched in the history of the nation, he said.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu paid tributes to Potti Sriramulu. He was a valiant and noble soul who participated in India’s freedom struggle under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles, taking part in the Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement. He was a great man who fought with firm resolve for a separate state for the Telugu people and achieved his goal, the Chief Minister posted on X.

The Chief Minister stated that Potti Sriramulu’s supreme sacrifice should inspire us all. “Bowing my head in reverence to that great soul who set the precedent for the formation of linguistic states by sacrificing his life, I once again offer my tribute,” he wrote.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan paid rich tributes to Potti Sriramulu on his martyrdom day. He undertook a fast unto death with the resolve that Telugu people should have their own separate state, and sacrificed his life.

“The result of that great man’s supreme sacrifice is the Telugu states we have today. He walked in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi and aspired for the establishment of a casteless society. The bond between Gandhiji and Sri Potti Sreeramulu has been mentioned in published research papers on the Andhra movement. Future generations should know about the fast unto death he undertook for achieving his goal,” said Pawan Kalyan.

Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that Potti Sriramulu was the symbol of self-respect for the Telugu people. “An immortal soul who laid down his life through a fast unto death for a separate state for the Telugu people, forever etched in the hearts of the Telugu masses,” he said.

Potti Sriramulu died in 1952 after a 56-day hunger strike in Madras demanding a separate state for Telugu people. In 1953, Andhra State, with Kurnool as the capital, was carved out of then Madras State.

Following re-organisation of states on linguistic basis, Andhra State was merged with Telugu-speaking Telangana to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956.

Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh as a separate state in 2014.

–IANS

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