Former prime minister Manmohan Singh (L) and former chief minister and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao (R).
Credit: Special arrangement
Hyderabad: As the entire nation mourned the passing away of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Telangana has a special reason to remember him.
Under his leadership as India's prime minister, the six-decade-long struggle for separate statehood culminated with the carving of Telangana as a separate state from combined Andhra Pradesh.
Former chief minister and BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), who also worked in Manmohan Singh's cabinet, said that the formation of Telangana during his tenure as prime minister was a historic milestone.
He said people of Telangana will always remember his support and efforts for the formation of the state. "It was Manmohan Singh who made the historic announcement about the formation of Telangana on the floor of the house in the Parliament in 2014 on the last day of the 15th Lok Sabha."
“Dr Manmohan Singh rendered invaluable service to the country as the architect of economic reforms. Telangana has a special connection with Dr Singh. I have a personal attachment to him, having served as a minister in his cabinet,” said KCR.
He described Manmohan Singh as a stable visionary and added that Telangana society will never forget his contribution from the time of the Telangana movement to the formation of the state.
He said that Dr Singh had always supported him and the TRS party in every situation while fighting for Telangana. KCR reminisced about the formation of Telangana during Dr Singh's tenure as prime minister, emphasising his unwavering positive attitude and significant contribution to the state's formation.
In this context, he said that the BRS has decided to pay tribute to Dr Singh, who was very dear to Telangana society. "I have instructed the party working president and MPs to participate in his last rites on the occasion of his final farewell," KCR said.
The BRS party will attend the funeral of Dr Manmohan Singh and pay their respects. Party president KCR has instructed working president K T Rama Rao to lead a delegation of BRS MPs to attend the funeral in New Delhi.
Telangana's transport minister, Ponnam Prabhakar, who was an MP in 2014 when the announcement was made about the state formation, had recalled his association with Manmohan Singh and working under him.