KCR praises Pranab as tallest leader

Uniki book by Vidyasagar Rao released

Hyderabad: “Uniki,” a compilation of articles by Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, was released on Friday. The Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao unveiled the first copy and handed it over to the President, Pranab Mukherjee, at a programme held at Hitex Convention Centre, Madhapur.

Governor E S L Narasimhan, Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya, Leader of Opposition in Telangana State Assembly K Jana Reddy and the BJP, TRS and TDP leaders, besides a big number of followers of Vidyasagar Rao attended the programme.

Addressing gathering, Pranab Mukherjee said he had known Vidyasagar Rao since he served as Minister of State for Home, Industries and Commerce in the Union Cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Rao was also the floor Leader of his party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly for 15 long years. He was also successful in piloting a private member’s bill in the then State Legislative Assembly that sought stringent punishment for people practicing bigamy.

The Governor praised his Maharashtra counterpart by terming him a multi-faceted personality. He said he had the opportunity of seeing Rao’s dedication during his stint as Union Minister. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister recalled that he had shared moments of tension with Ch Vidyasagar Rao during passage of Telangana State bill in the Parliament.

Referring to his association with Pranab Mukherjee, he said that “The President is one of the tallest politicians in the country.” During course of statehood agitation, he said that he got plenty of opportunities to interact with “Pranab Da.” KCR said Pranab Mukherjee was a leader he looked up for advice at all times.

Vidyasagar Rao expressed his gratitude to the President for accepting his invitation to attend the book release programme. He said he had no plans to bring a compilation of his articles in the media for the last four decades. However, a journalist from my native place was instrumental in influencing the decision. he added.

“Uniki” (Existence) is a compilation of articles written by Vidyasagar Rao in various Telugu and English newspapers and magazines from 1975 till 2015. It offers glimpses into the public life of the senior BJP leader, especially his transformation from a student leader to his present position as Maharashtra Governor.

The 89 articles covered in “Uniki” deal with a wide range of topics which include the demand for construction of check dams on Godavari and Krishna rivers, celebration of Telangana Liberation Day (September 17) and other economic and contemporary social issues. It also includes stories and poems written by him while serving in the central prison in Warangal during emergency period of 1970s.