Hyderabad, July 4 (IANS) AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge unveiled a statue of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah in Hyderabad on Friday.

The statue, installed at Lakdi Ka Pul in the heart of the city, was unveiled on Rosaiah’s birth anniversary.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, state ministers, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud and other Congress leaders were present.

The leaders paid rich tributes to Rosaiah, who was Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and former Governor of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Earlier, the Chief Minister, in his message, recalled that Rosaiah presented the state budget as the Finance Minister 16 times during Congress rule in the united Andhra Pradesh.

Recognising the Congress leader’s service, the CM said the state government bestowed upon him a rare honour by issuing orders to organise Rosaiah’s birth anniversary celebrations officially on July 4.

Rosaiah was known for being non-controversial during his entire 50-year active political life, said CM Revanth Reddy.

The Telangana government has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rosaiah as a state function every year in a befitting manner.

The government directed all the district Collectors to celebrate the birthday of Rosaiah.

Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao issued an order, designating the Youth Advancement Tourism and Culture department as the nodal department to organise the celebrations.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu paid tributes to Rosaiah. He called the late leader a symbol of ideal and honest politics.

“His discipline and eloquence always greatly impressed me. Wishing that today’s generation of leaders take him as an ideal. On the occasion of Roshaiah garu’s birth anniversary, I pay my tributes while fondly recalling my closeness with him,” CM Naidu said.

Former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also paid his tributes to Rosaiah. He stated that as the Chief Minister of the united Andhra Pradesh and a long-serving Finance Minister, the services rendered by Konijeti Rosaiah to the state are unforgettable.

–IANS

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