Revolutionary Alluri Sitarama Raju’s bronze statue should be installed in Parliament and the nation’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna bestowed on him, MLC M.V.V.S. Murthi said he on Saturday.
Mr. Murthi garlanded the newly installed statue of the freedom fighter at Pandrangi in Padmanabham mandal marking his 118{+t}{+h}birth anniversary. Visakhapatnam MP K. Haribabu, Chhattisgarh MP Ramesh Bais, Madhya Pradesh MP Prahlad Patil, Bihar MP Sushil Kumar Singhal, Joint Collector J. Nivas, and Tourism Regional Commissioner T. Babu Rao Naidu participated.
Mr. Naidu said that though Alluri Sitarama Raju was born at Pandrangi, he identified himself with the cause of the oppressed girijans and led the Rampa rebellion. Rotary Club, Visakhapatnam, presented furniture worth Rs.1 lakh to the school at Pandrangi. At K.D. Peta, Anakapalle MP M. Srinivasa Rao, who garlanded the statue of the revolutionary at Alluri Park, said that if the district were to be bifurcated, he would endeavour to get the rural district named after Alluri.
‘Fight against mining’
Taking forward the spirit of Alluri, people should fight against bauxite mining in the Agency area and protect the rights of girijans, CPI(M) leaders G.S. Rajeswara Rao and B. Padma said at a meeting at AU Law College.
AU Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju described Alluri as pride of the nation at a programme organised by the Uttarandhra Vidyardhi Sena.
Registrar Uma Maheswara Rao and sena president Sunkari Ramana Murthy spoke.
BJMM celebrated the birth anniversary at Swatantranagar in Madhurawada. State executive member Bandaru Anil Kumar and morcha city general secretary M. Jagadeeswara Rao spoke.
The APSWRSchool/Jr. College, Golugonda, celebrated Alluri’s birth anniversary.
Drawing and debating competitions were conducted for students. Principal M. David and lecturers garlanded portraits of Alluri painted by students N. Rajesh and Ch. Pawan Koteswara Rao. K. Rajkumar presented mono action titled ‘Manyam Dora’.
At steel plant
Director (commercial) of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant T.K. Chand, who garlanded the statue of the freedom fighter, recalled Alluri’s sacrifices in protecting the rights of girijans and his crusade against the British rule.