Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reaffirmed his commitment to securing the ‘Bharat Ratna’ award for TDP founder and former chief minister NT Rama Rao (NTR). He assured that efforts would persist until the nation’s highest civilian honour is conferred on NTR.
A programme was organised at Poranki, near Vijayawada, on Saturday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the release of NTR’s first film. The event witnessed the participation of several prominent personalities, including former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister reminisced about NTR’s illustrious career, noting that he acted in over 300 films and portrayed diverse characters. “NTR founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to uphold the self-respect of the Telugu people, who extended overwhelming support to him,” Naidu stated. He expressed hope that the TDP would thrive as long as Telugu people exist.
“Honouring NTR with the ‘Bharat Ratna’ is akin to respecting the pride of the Telugu people. Our efforts in this regard will continue relentlessly,” Chandrababu Naidu asserted.
Naidu also recalled significant milestones in NTR’s life, including the 1984 political crisis, when he opposed NTR’s removal as Chief Minister and led a successful struggle to reinstate him.
On this occasion, former Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled Tarakaram-Annagari Antarangam, published by the Savonire and Website Committee.
Prominent attendees included film producers D Suresh Babu and G Adiseshagiri Rao, veteran actress Jayapradha, Shyamala Devi (wife of Krishnam Raju), and Nandamuri Rama Krishna.