Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday demanded that the central govt posthumously confer India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who, he said, upheld the self-respect of Telangana people by approving the formation of the state.The CM unveiled a statue of Manmohan Singh at Wipro Junction in the Financial District of the IT corridor and said it was unfortunate that the central govt had neither conferred the Bharat Ratna nor taken any steps to create a memorial for the former PM in Delhi.Revanth said not everything should be seen from a political perspective and that certain decisions should be taken by the Centre beyond the realm of politics. The CM urged the Union govt to establish a knowledge centre in honour of Manmohan Singh in the national capital, where future generations, including Gen Z, Alpha and Beta, would get an opportunity to learn about him and reforms such as liberalisation that he initiated when the country was going through difficult times.The CM also instructed Congress MPs to raise the issue of conferring the Bharat Ratna on Manmohan Singh in Parliament and bring it to the Centre’s attention. “We will also urge the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to exert pressure on the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna posthumously on Manmohan Singh,” Revanth said.Stating that the former PM upheld the self-respect of Telangana people by facilitating the formation of the state during his govt, the CM remarked that the credit for integrating Hyderabad state into India and securing its freedom goes to the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.Likewise, the combination of Sonia Gandhi as UPA chairperson and then PM Manmohan Singh fulfilled the decades-long dream of the Telangana people by granting statehood.“The unveiling of Manmohan Singh’s statue in Hyderabad is a befitting tribute to the former PM. It has been installed in the heart of the Financial District of the IT corridor. We also displayed the signature Manmohan Singh affixed to the order creating the state of Telangana here today. We unveiled the former PM’s statue with the resolve to pass on his inspiration to future generations of Gen Z, Alpha and Beta,” Revanth said.The CM also highlighted Manmohan Singh’s vision and policies for the social and economic development of the country as an economist, Reserve Bank Governor, Finance minister and Prime Minister. “As Finance minister during PV Narasimha Rao’s govt tenure in 1991, Manmohan Singh rescued the country from the deep financial crisis. It was Manmohan Singh who introduced the policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. Many key institutions of the nation’s economy are providing services from Hyderabad, and the unveiling of the former PM’s statue in the economic hub is a rich tribute to the economic reformer also,” Revanth said.The credit for introducing the Right to Education Act, Right to Information Act, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and Forest Rights Act, 2006, goes to the combination of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, Revanth said. He added that the Rehabilitation Act was also introduced to provide compensation to the landless poor.Former Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana, former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudarshan Reddy, former economic adviser Mohan Guruswamy, ministers Sridhar Babu and Adluri Laxman Kumar, MPs Vem Narendar Reddy and Anil Kumar Yadav, MLAs Arikepudi Gandhi and V Naveen Yadav, MLC Kuchukulla Damodar Reddy and senior officials participated.
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