AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and other state leaders on Friday welcomed the conferment of Bharat Ratna award posthumously on former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.
The chief minister said it an honour for all Telugu-speaking people.
"It is an honour to all Telugu speaking people as the statesman and scholar with high political and moral values gets the highest civilian award which he (Rao) richly deserved, and it merits an all-round applause," Reddy said in an official release.
The chief minister also welcomed the conferment of Bharat Ratna posthumously on former Prime Minister Charan Singh and agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said that the annoucement of Bharat Ratna award to Rao is a proud moment for all Telugus across the globe.
Calling Rao as a son of the soil, he noted that the former prime minister was an eminent scholar, leader, economist, writer, statesman, polyglot and a humanist.
Naidu recalled Rao's pioneering economic reforms which steered India through tough times, putting the nation on the path to achieving greatness on the world stage.
Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari also welcomed the Bharat Ratna award to Rao and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing it.
A true statesman (Rao) and a son of the soil richly deserves this honour that was deprived to him all these years, she said.