The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution urging the central government to confer the Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, following his passing on December 26. The resolution, moved by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy highlighted Singh’s pivotal role in the formation of Telangana and his contributions to India's development.
The House convened at 10 am with Revanth Reddy introducing the motion to grieve the death of Singh, terming it as "irreplaceable loss for the country." The Chief Minister lauded the contributions of the late leader towards the growth of the country and particularly remembered his contribution towards the formation of Telangana state in 2014. He also remembered landmark legislations initiated by Singh's leadership, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Right to Information Act, as well as the Land Acquisition Act.
The Assembly then passed a unanimous resolution calling for the Centre to award Singh India's highest civilian award. Also, the state government planned to install the statue of Manmohan Singh in Hyderabad's Financial District, a tribute to all his contributions.
Deputy CM Bhatti has voiced support for the motion, but more leaders still joined in raising their voices in favour. K.T. Rama Rao, the working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), termed Singh "the silent architect of modern India," who has left indelible footprints in directing the nation's economic reforms. Rao also urged the Assembly to pass a resolution calling upon the central government to consider establishing a memorial for yet another former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, in the national capital.
The BJP floor leader, Maheshwar Reddy, expressed his party’s support for the motion. However, his comments on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were objected to by Legislative Minister Sridhar Babu, who requested that they be expunged from the record.
A two-minute silence was observed in respect of the former Prime Minister, who passed away at the age of 92.
