Senior Congress leader D Srinivas passes away

He breathed his last at 3 am at his residence in Hyderabad. Family members said Srinivas, who was suffering from illness for the past few days, died of a heart attack.

Hyderabad: Veteran Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha Member Dharmapuri Srinivas, popular as DS, passed away due to prolonged illness at his residence in the early hours of Saturday. He was 76. He is survived by his wife and two sons, including Nizamabad BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri. His elder son Dharmapuri Sanjay is a Congress leader and ex-mayor of Nizamabad.

Srinivas breathed his last at 3 am at his residence in Hyderabad. Family members said Srinivas, who was suffering from illness for the last few days, died of a heart attack. The funeral will be held on Sunday in Nizamabad.

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Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy condoled the death of Srinivas and conveyed his deepest sympathies to the bereaved family members. He recalled that Srinivas played an important role as PCC president and rendered exceptional service to the Congress party for a long time. “Srinivas, who ascended to greater heights from a Congress worker, is a role model for many political leaders,” he said. The Chief Minister also directed Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari to make arrangements to conduct the last rites of Srinivas with full State honours. Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, BRS working president KT Rama Rao and former Minister T Harish Rao were among those who paid their last respects to the departed leader.

“My father Srinivas, fondly called Seenanna, is no more. I will miss you, daddy! He is my father, my mentor and teacher. He taught me how to fight and how not to fear. He told me to love people and live for people. Daddy, you will always be with me and within me,” a post from Arvind on Facebook on Saturday read.

Srinivas hailed from Velpur village in Nizamabad and was elected three times as MLA and MLC. He served as a Minister in the cabinets of former Chief Ministers M Chennareddy and YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He was also a two-time president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee and played a key role in bringing the party to power in 2004 and 2009.

He served as Minister for Rural Development and Information and Public Relations in the then Congress-led State government between 1989 and 1994 and again as Minister for Higher Education and Intermediate Education in the YS Rajasekhara Reddy government between 2004 and 2009.

After the bifurcation of the State, Srinivas resigned from the Congress and joined the BRS on July 2, 2015. He was subsequently made Rajya Sabha member. He gradually retired from active politics and was back in the Congress last year, though he did not rejoin the party formally.