Hyderabad, Aug 20 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary and called on youth to draw inspiration from the late leader.
Speaking after garlanding the statue of Rajiv Gandhi in front of the Telangana Secretariat here, the Chief Minister recalled his services to the nation.
Revanth Reddy said Rajiv Gandhi laid down his life to safeguard national integration.
It was Rajiv Gandhi’s thinking to utilise technology for providing transparent governance, he said.
“It was Rajiv Gandhi ji who provided voting rights to those who attain the age of 18 years to give them an opportunity to decide the country’s future,” said Revanth Reddy.
He called the former Prime Minister a visionary who provided reservation to women in local bodies and introduced computers in the country.
“He brought revolutionary changes in the telecom sector. Inspired by Rajiv Gandhi ji, the foundation was laid for Hitech City in Hyderabad,” he said.
The Chief Minister asserted that the Congress government was trying to take Telangana ahead economically and socially by drawing inspiration from Rajiv Gandhi.
“Besides welfare and development, we solved social problems by providing 42 per cent reservations to backward classes and by undertaking sub-categorisation of the scheduled castes,” he said.
He called for an amendment to provide an opportunity to those who attain the age of 21 to contest for state Assemblies.
“To realise this dream, Rahul Gandhi ji should be made the Prime Minister. With inspiration from Rajiv Gandhi ji, we will not rest till we make Rahul Gandhi ji the Prime Minister,” he added.
State Congress President Mahesh Kumar Goud, CM’s advisor Vem Narendra Reddy, ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar and other leaders were present.
Goud garlanded the statue of Rajiv Gandhi at Somajiguda in the heart of the city.
On the occasion, he said the former Prime Minister brought reforms in various sectors. He said it was due to the efforts made by Rajiv Gandhi that India is today competing with the developed countries in the world.
The state Congress chief called Rajiv Gandhi a visionary. Stating that the Gandhi family made sacrifices for the country, he called for countering the BJP’s conspiracies against it.
–IANS
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