Hyderabad: Appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the Bharat Ratna award on former PM Manmohan Singh, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday, September 26, said it is “deplorable” to see party affiliation in recognising the contributions of a tall leader.
Speaking after unveiling a statue of Singh on the occasion of the former PM’s birth anniversary, he said the combination of Singh and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi fulfilled the decades-old dream of Telangana statehood.
The previous UPA regime, led by the late Singh and Sonia Gandhi, enacted landmark legislation, including the Right to Education, Right to Information, NREGA, Land Acquisition Act, and Forest Rights Act, he said.
“… Manmohan Singh was a great statesman. He is a beloved son of India whom the country will remember forever. I don’t understand why this government has an objection to conferring Bharat Ratna on such a person,” he said.
He said governments have a responsibility to hand over an intellectual as a source of inspiration to the future generations. Government leaders should have wisdom, he said.
‘Deplorable to think about party they represent’
Observing that politics should not be the criterion on certain occasions, he said that taking party affiliation into consideration in recognising veteran leaders is “deplorable”.
“Thinking about (party) flags or about the parties they represented is deplorable. This is not fair. On the occasion of his birthday, I am appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Telangana Chief Minister. I am appealing that Manmohan Singh, who upheld our self-respect by granting statehood to Telangana, should be conferred with the Bharat Ratna,” he said.
Reddy also favoured establishing a memorial in Delhi to continue Singh’s legacy or to hand over his contributions to future generations.
Congress MPs from Telangana would bring the matter to the notice of party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and raise the issue in the Parliament to mount pressure on the Centre.
‘Sonia-Manmohan contribution like that of Nehru-Patel’
He also said Telangana’s history can be seen in two parts — liberation from Nizam rule in 1948 and the formation of the state following the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
Nehru and Patel merged the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad under Nizam rule with the Indian Union, while Congress leader Sonia Gandhi fulfilled the dream of Telangana statehood with Singh’s support, he said.
Similar to the combination of Sonia Gandhi and Singh, the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy PM Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel formed another combination to liberate Telangana from the Nizam rule.
The state government decided to install the statue of Singh with the view that patriotism and selfless service should be an inspiration to Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta, he said.
He said Singh initiated liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation as Finance Minister under the leadership of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, paving the way for the country’s economic progress.
Former Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, former Supreme Court Judge Justice B Sudarshan Reddy and several other leaders attended the event.
