Former CM Rosaiah passes away

Hyderabad: Former Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and Congress senior leader Konijeti Rosaiah passed away in Hyderabad on Saturday morning. He was 88. He is survived by his wife Sivalakshmi, sons KS Subba Rao and KSN Murthy, and daughter P Rama Devi. Rosaiah reportedly had a low pulse rate and also indicated low blood […]

Hyderabad: Former Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and Congress senior leader Konijeti Rosaiah passed away in Hyderabad on Saturday morning. He was 88. He is survived by his wife Sivalakshmi, sons KS Subba Rao and KSN Murthy, and daughter P Rama Devi.

Rosaiah reportedly had a low pulse rate and also indicated low blood pressure levels. The family members rushed him to a corporate hospital in Banjara Hills, where he was declared dead.

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The body of Rosaiah has been shifted to his residence at Dharamkaram Road in Ameerpet where it will be kept for the family members and VIPs to pay their last respects. On Sunday, the body will be kept at Gandhi Bhavan for Congress leaders and the general public to pay tributes to the former Chief Minister. A funeral procession will be taken out from Gandhi Bhavan to Maha Prasthanam in Jubilee Hills where final rites will be performed at around 1 pm.

As per directions of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, the Telangana government has decided to accord the funeral with police honours and the district collectors of Hyderabad and Rangareddy have been directed to make necessary arrangements in this regard. The State government will also observe State mourning for three days from December 4 to 6.

Rosaiah took over as the Chief Minister after the tragic death of Y S Rajashekhara Reddy for a short period between September 2009- November 2010. He resigned to the post on November 24, 2010 citing health problems and was succeeded by N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Later, he was sworn in as Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2011 and after completing his term in August 2016, he retired from active politics.

A Congress veteran, Rosaiah was born on July 4 in 1933, in Vemuru village of Guntur district. He studied Commerce at Guntur Hindu College. He was elected to the then Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council in 1968, 1974, and 1980 on behalf of the Congress Party. He was elected as an MLA in 1989 and 2004 from the Chirala Assembly constituency. In 1998, he was elected as MP from Narasaraopet. He was elected to the Legislative Council again in 2009.

Rosaiah was the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) from 1995 to 1997. He is known as a follower of freedom fighter and farmers’ leader NG Ranga.

For the first time, Rosaiah became Roads and Buildings Minister in the Marri Chenna Reddy government. He was also a member of the then Chief Minister T Anjaiah’s Cabinet.

In his political career which lasted for nearly six decades, Rosaiah served as a Finance Minister for the longest period under Marri Chenna Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, and YS Rajashekhara Reddy. He holds a record of sorts for presenting the highest number of budgets for a State by presenting the Andhra Pradesh State Budget for 15 times including seven times in a row.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao mourned the death of Rosaiah. He recalled Rosaiah as a leader who brought many laurels to the posts he held especially as Finance Minister and is known for his patience, gentleness and simplicity. He conveyed his condolences to members of the bereaved family. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy expressed his grief over the death of Rosaiah and extended his condolences to the bereaved family.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Sake Sailajanath and several other leaders from Congress and other political parties, condoled the death of Rosaiah. Several politicians, eminent persons, actors and other professionals expressed their shock over the demise of Rosaiah. They extended condolences to his family members.

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