Statue of former Union Minister Late Dr Mallikarjun unveiled on his 82nd Jayanthi

Hyderabad, August 5, 2023: A statue in honour of the former Union Minister, Late Dr Mallikarjun, was unveiled by Bandaru Dattatreya, Governor, Haryana on the 82nd Jayanthi of Late Dr Mallikarjun, at Sandhya Convention, Gachibowli, today. Dr. K. Keshav Rao MP, D.K. Aruna, Former Minister, National VP, BJP; Vivek, Ex MP; Gurunath Reddy, Ex- MLA; Bhikshapati Yadav, Ex-MLA; Ravi Kumar Yadav; Obaidulla Kotwal, Ex-DCC President, Mahabubnagar; Balki Reddy, Businessman; Bhagawat Rao, Ex-DCC; and Keerthi Reddy, BJP Leader; graced the occasion. Spouse and son of Late Dr Mallikarjun, Bhagyalakshmi and Manu Mallikarjun were the organisers and hosts of the event.
 
Chief Guest Bandaru Dattatreya, after unveiling the statue said, Late Dr Mallikarjun played a pivotal role in the Telangana moment, right from his student days he fought for the cause of separate Telangana state, he led the students for the Telangana agitation from Osmania University. Later Late Dr Mallikarjun joined prominent leaders Shri Marri Chenna Reddy, Shri G. Venkat Swamy and others to intensify the demand and laid the foundation for achieving Telangana, The Telangana Government should honour them by rewriting Telangana history with the mention of their names and contribution to the cause prominently. He quit from the Medak Lok Sabha seat as MP, for Smt. Indira Gandhi to contest and win from there and was instrumental in her becoming the Prime Minister. He is an intellectual and served the country under Prime Minister Shri PV Narsimha Rao as Defence minister, Railway minister, Parliamentary affairs minister and made significant contributions towards the nation. He was a guide and good friend of mine, when I was Minister of state for Railways, he was the one who approached me to develop Lingampally station and I immediately ensured its development besides extending MMTS up to Lingampally, that way the other name for development is Late Dr Mallikarjun. In those days, he rose from the weaker sections to the stature he attained, which is an inspiration for all of us. He was a honest politician and a statesman, unveiling his statue is a honour for me. I request Telangana Government to establish Late Dr Mallikarjun’s statue. We need to remember and laud the efforts of the heroes of Telangana moment, we all know about their services, but the current and future generations will not be aware of their sacrifices in achieving Telangana. The real tribute to him is working towards the development of the weaker sections of the society, the cause which was dear to his heart.

Manu Mallikarjun said, my father Late Dr Mallikarjun, was a man who stood for his principles and a was great leader. As part of the youth of the country, on behalf of the people I would say we must always support leaders who hold principles.

Vivek Venkatswamy, former MP; said, Late Dr Mallikarjun garu, Marri Chenna Reddy garu, my father G. Venkat Swamy garu, Madan Mohan garu were among the leaders who were in the forefront of the Telangana agitation. Late Dr Mallikarjun garu used to visit our house and used to have an intense discussion with my father on separate Telangana state. My father and he had a strong bonding and they regularly met to develop ways to intensify the movement and achieve Telangana state. When he was studying in OU medical college he used to mobilise and inspire youth at Osmania university to fight for separate Telangana. He gained enormous respect for his dedicated service to the country by taking on various roles and responsibilities as a member of parliament and central minister. His services was not recognised by the current Telangana government after the formation of Telangana. The next government should recognise his services and accord him due recognition for all that he did for Telangana and the country.

Bhagyalakshmi, Spouse of Late Dr Mallikarjun; said, Late Dr Mallikarjun dedicated his life for separate Telangana and the development of the state and the country, the unveiling of his statue is a small tribute in his memory from our family.

Dr Mallikarjun, a six time Member of Parliament, represented Mahabubnagar parliamentary constituency for four times and Medak parliamentary constituency twice. Dr Mallikarjun had served the nation in various capacities by holding several crucial portfolios including Defence, Railways, Parliamentary Affairs, I&B and Sports, in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao. He served as APCC President between 1996 and 1998. He is remembered for vacating his seat of Medak for the election of Indira Gandhi, in 1980.

Having entered politics in 1969 as the leader of the students-led agitation for Telangana statehood, he tirelessly served the country before going on to found and lead the Congress Forum for Telangana, a pressure group within Indian National Congress demanding statehood for Telangana and worked for the cause until his untimely demise on 24th December 2002.