AP Assembly pays tributes to Bapuji

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu and members of all parties hailed Bapuji as a true Gandhian who worked tirelessly for the cause he believed in.

Bapuji was elected to the AP Assembly four times and served as its Deputy Speaker and later as minister.

He quit the state Cabinet in 1969 seeking creation of Telangana state and vowed not to enter the Assembly till the separate state became a reality.

Bapuji sat on a satyagraha in New Delhi last year seeking creation of Telangana.

"Granting statehood for Telangana will be the real tribute to Bapuji," MLAs from Telangana region said.

Bapuji worked for the upliftment of backward classes and the downtrodden, the members recalled.

The chief minister announced that a statue of Bapuji would be installed and a memorial built in his honour in Hyderabad.

Born on September 27, 1915, Bapuji took part in the Quit India Movement and later in the Hyderabad Liberation Struggle.

Ministers K Jana Reddy, J Geeta Reddy, Basavaraj Saraiah, D Sridhar Babu, Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders E Rajender and T Harish Rao, BJP leaders Y Lakshmi Narayana and Y Srinivasa Reddy, Lok Satta party MLA N Jayaprakash Narayan and others spoke about the leader.