Demand of Bharat Ratna for Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary

HYDERABAD: Former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh K Rosaiah, two Telangana ministers and the state BJP chief today said that the country's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, should be bestowed upon the former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.

The TRS government in Telangana had organised a program to mark the late leader's 96th birth anniversary at his memorial, PV Gyan Bhoomi, at Hussain Sagar lake here today.

Paying tributes to Rao, who was born in today's Telangana, state home minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and animal husbandry minister T Srinivas Yadav urged the Centre to confer the nation's highest civilian honour on him.

Both hailed Rao's contribution to the country, especially the economic reforms which he initiated.

Rao's family members have long demanded Bharat Ratna for him.

As per a government press release, former AP chief minister K Rosaiah and Telangana BJP president K Laxman also said that Rao should be given the Bharat Ratna.

Several other leaders paid homage to the late leader on the occasion.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is in Delhi, described the former PM as a "great administrator".

"It is a proud moment for Telangana that PV, (who was) from Telangana, (was) raised to the status of Prime Minister of the country and served the nation," a statement from CM's office quoted him as saying.