HYDERABAD: Former Minister and former APCC chief M Satyanarayana Rao died after being infected by Covid-19 at 3.45 am here on Tuesday at NIMS. He was 87. He is survived by two sons and two daughters. He was a vociferous supporter of the statehood movement. Born in Vedira village near Karimnagar city in Telangana, MSR evinced keen interest in politics when he was studying Intermediate in Vivekavardhini College in Hyderabad. Later, he did his LLB in the Law College of Osmania University.
MSR participated in the first generation separate Telangana movement in 1969. He was first elected as an MP on Telangana Praja Samithi ticket in 1971. Later, he was elected as an MP on Congress ticket. MSR was also a Supreme Court Advocate. He was AICC general secretary from 1980 to 1983 and closely associated with Indira Gandhi.
He was APSRTC chairman from 1990 to 1994. He was PCC chief from 2000 to 2004. When, he was PCC chief, he permitted YSR to undertake padayatra, which helped Congress to regain the power in the combined AP. MSR met the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the time of inauguration of Nagarjuna Sagar Project.
At that time, MSR discussed Telangana politics with Jawaharlal Nehru. MSR also opposed the merger of AP with Telangana. He expressed his feelings to Jawaharlal Nehru, when the latter visited Nizamabad before the merger of AP and Telangana.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao mourned Satyanarayana Rao’s death. MSR was a straightforward man, the CM said and directed senior officials to perform MSR’s last rites with official honours. Several Ministers, Congress and TRS leaders condoled the death of MSR.