india

Updated: Jul 08, 2019 21:04 IST

YSR Congress party on Monday pitched for installation of a statue of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in the Parliament complex.

Reddy, whose 70th birth anniversary was celebrated across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Monday, died in a tragic helicopter crash in Nallamala forests of Kurnool district on September 2, 2009.

His son Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the current Andhra CM, and family members attended special prayers at YSR Samadhi at Pulivendula in Kadapa district. At a public meeting, Jagan vowed to bring back the golden era of his father in the next five years.

In his representation submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in New Delhi, YSRC MP from Machilipatnam constituency V Balashowry said YSR, as the former CM was popularly known, had served the nation as four-time MP from Kadapa, five-time MLA from Pulivendula and two-time chief minister.

“During his tenure, he had introduced several welfare schemes, such a free power supply to agriculture sector, 3% interest on crop loans, fee reimbursement for the poor students and free healthcare in corporate hospitals for patients below poverty line etc. Besides, he had taken up several infrastructure projects and irrigation schemes including Polavaram and Pulichintala,” he pointed out.

Balashowry said installation of YSR statue in the Parliament would be a fitting tribute to the leader whose welfare schemes made him dearer to the people of the state. “The Speaker responded positively to my representation and referred it to the committee on installation of portraits and statues,” the MP told HT.

In April 2010, a high powered committee of Parliament, headed by then Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, decided not to allow further installation of statues and portraits of national leaders in the Parliament to maintain its neat and spacious look.

The committee felt that the Parliament was already over-crowded with statues. The committee decided that, in rare cases, the permission could be given but proposals would have to be sent to the heritage committee of Parliament for clearance.

The committee did clear the proposal for installation of Telugu Desam Party founder and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N T Rama Rao, as it had already been approved by the General Purpose Committee. On May 7, 2013, a 9.3-feet bronze statue of NTR was unveiled near the Rajya Sabha entrance in Parliament.