Former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and senior Congress leader M. Satyanarayana Rao breathed his last early on April 27 in the city due to age-related issues. He was ailing for some time.
The 88-year old former parliamentarian, popularly known as MSR, is survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons. Hailing from Vedira village in Ramadugu mandal of Karimnagar district, MSR was elected as a Member of Parliament thrice.
He participated in the 1969 Telangana movement and was elected to the Parliament on the Telangana Praja Samiti ticket. Later, he was elected twice on behalf of the Congress party. MSR was a strong proponent of Telangana even in the new millennium.
MSR served as the PCC president in the combined Andhra Pradesh from 2000 to 2004. He also served in the Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy cabinet from 2004 to 2007 and as Chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) from 2007.
His provocation of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief and Karimnagar MP K. Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) to resign to prove the popularity of the Telangana sentiment is considered a key moment in the Telangana movement. Acting on this challenge, KCR resigned and contested again. KCR won with a huge majority and gave a fillip to the Telangana agitation, considered to be on the wane then.
Telangana PCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, senior Congress leaders Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Ponnam Prabhakar, K. Jana Reddy and K.V.P. Ramchander Rao condoled the death of MSR and recalled his service to the Telangana cause.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao mourned the death and said MSR was a straighforward man with his own style of politics. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu also conveyed their condolence to the bereaved family.
