Centre urged to honour N.T. Rama Rao with Bharata Ratna award

The Telugu Desam Party MP of Vizianagaram Lok Sabha Constituency, Kalisetti Appala Naidu, on Sunday (January 18, 2026) urged the Union Government to announce Bharata Ratna to former Chief Minister and TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, as he had pioneered the implementation of welfare schemes in the country.

NTR, as he was popularly known, had brought changes in the administrative setup with the formation of mandals as part of taking services closer to the people. Along with Etcherla MLA N. Eswara Rao, he offered floral tributes to N.T. Rama Rao at his statue in G. Sigadam mandal of Srikakulam district on the occasion of the latter’s 30th death anniversary.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Appala Naidu said that the successive governments adopted the flagship welfare schemes of N.T. Rama Rao in the United Andhra Pradesh.

He said that Chief Minister N. Chandra Babu Naidu had been carrying the legacy and ideology of Mr. N.T. Rama Rao in letter and spirit. Mr. Eswara Rao said that the BJP and TDP had close political relations 40 years ago, with the initiative of N.T. Rama Rao and senior leaders of the BJP like A.B. Vajapayee, L.K.Advani and others.

Later, the party leaders participated in charitable activities in several parts of the Etcherla Constituency. Srikakulam MLA Gondu Shankar and other leaders paid rich tributes to Mr. N.T. Rama Rao at the TDP office in Srikakulam.