Local MLA Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy on Saturday defended renaming of the government hospital here as ‘Prabhuthva Sarvajana Asupatri’ (government general hospital) and deleting the word ‘Maharaja’ from the hospital name.
Addressing the media at the hospital, he said that the YSRCP had respect for P.V.G. Raju, the father of former Union Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, but the change of name was necessitated with the upgrading of the institution as a teaching hospital with the establishment of a medical college.
“Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju is using his father’s name only for political gain. Mr. Ashok has done nothing for the improvement of medical infrastructure. Moreover, the hospital land belonged to the government. So, there is no need for continuation of ‘Maharaja’ word in the hospital name,” said Mr. Veerabhadra Swamy.
YSRCP leaders V.S. Prasad, Vinta Prabhakar Reddy, Vijay Sankar Dubey, Tammana Lakshman, Ch.D. Prasanna Kumar and others were present during the press meet.
People will teach a lesson: TDP
At another press conference, Telugu Desam Party’s Vizianagaram Parliamentary wing president Kimidi Nagarjuna said people would teach a lesson to the YSR Congress Party in the next elections as it had hurt their sentiments by removing ‘Maharaja’ from the name of the government hospital.
The Pusapati Maharaja family had constructed the first hospital in 1904 and the medical infrastructure in the existing hospital was improved during the TDP regime, he said. “It is unfair to disrespect the great maharaja family which had sacrificed all their properties for the welfare of the people,” said Mr. Nagarjuna.
TDP senior leaders I.V.P. Raju, Karrotu Narasinga Rao, Boddula Narasinga Rao and Kandi Murali Naidu were present,
