Forever In people’s Hearts: Remembering Dr YSR

GUNTUR: “Late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, always believed that a government is meant for the people. The ruler of the governments should work towards the welfare of the public. And regardless of which party forms them, governments should always strive towards the ultimate objective of public interest.” Principal Advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government Ajay Kallam recollected this priceless message of Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the true mass leader.

Ajay Kallam was the chief guest at a memorial meeting organized to remember Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy on the eve of his 11th anniversary, which is on September 2. The event was organized by AP Madya Vimochana Prachara Committee, a key panel constituted by the state government to create awareness on the ill-effects of alcohol consumption, at the Hindu Pharmacy College Auditorium here.

At the outset, a two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect for former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday at the age of 84. After lighting a lamp under the aegis of committee chairman Vallamreddy Lakshmana Reddy, floral tributes were offered to the portrait of Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Speaking to the gathering as the chief guest, Ajay Kallam hailed Dr YSR as a chief minister who prioritized welfare and brought in good governance. He said that the hallmark of YSR’s unparalleled leadership was evident from the fact that he understood people’s problems right at the grass-roots level and studied them in-depth, long before he attained power as the chief minister.

Ajay Kallam recalled that he was among the people who submitted a detailed report in 1997 squarely blaming the burden of heavy debts for the 7,000-odd suicides of farmers during that time. The deprivation of education, medicare and water for irrigation were the other factors that had made life even more miserable. “Schemes like Arogya Sri, 108 ambulance services and fee reimbursement for students of the downtrodden sections took their birth from this very churning that YSR had inside him on these issues, he added.

YSRCP MLC Dokka Manikya Vara Prasad, in his speech, said that at a time when envying opposition parties could not digest the good deeds of his government, Dr Rajasekhara Reddy always came across as a man who even received criticism in the most positive manner.

Legislators Maddali Giri, Mustafa, Vidadala Rajani and several others spoke of the late leader’s greatness and his natural ability to endear the masses besides the host of remarkable schemes that he brought in to bring smiles back on the faces of the poor and the marginalized sections.