Telangana Assembly pays rich tributes to former President A P J Abdul Kalam

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Legislative Assembly today paid rich tributes to former President A P J Abdul Kalam and sitting Congress MLA P Kishta Reddy who passed away recently.

Moving a condolence motion on the first day of the Monsoon session, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao hailed the services of the 'missile man' to the country.

He recalled that he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to name the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad after Kalam.

Kalam worked at the DRDL on different vital defence-related projects for about a decade.

Lauding his accomplishments and contribution to the nation, leaders of Congress, TDP, BJP and others supported the request to name DRDL after Kalam.

TDP floor leader E Dayakar Rao recalled that his party President N Chandrababu Naidu strongly proposed the candidature of Kalam for President's post.

Telangana BJP president and MLA G Kishan Reddy said the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee went ahead with Pokhran nuclear tests with Kalam on his side.

YSR Congress member P Venkateswarlu said the metro rail project be named after Kalam, while CPI's Ravindra Kumar said one of the new universities in the state can be named after the former President.

Finance Minister E Rajender recalled that Kalam, who addressed a joint sitting of undivided AP legislature, had said teachers and parents can eradicate social evils like casteism and communalism.

Moving a separate condolence motion on the demise of sitting Congress MLA from Narayankhed, P Kishta Reddy, the Chief Minister expressed sorrow over the death of Reddy who was Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Congress members, who spoke on the motion, proposed that a family member of Reddy be elected without contest in the bypoll to be held for the constituency.