HYDERABAD: Former Telangana minister and PCC chief M Satyanarayana Rao, popularly known as MSR, died of COVID-19 at 3.45 am on Tuesday at NIMS hospital in Hyderabad. He was 87.
Born in Vedira village near Karimnagar city, Rao evinced keen interest in politics when he was studying Intermediate in Vivekavardhini college in Hyderabad. Later, he did his LLB from Osmania University. He was also co-producer of Telugu movie 'Chivaraku Migiledi' and an advocate at Supreme Court.
Rao participated in the first generation separate Telangana movement in 1969 and was first elected as an MP on Telangana Praja Samithi ticket in 1971. Later, he was elected as a Congress MP. He was AICC general secretary from 1980 to 1983 and was closely associated with Indira Gandhi in the party affairs. .
He was made APSRTC chairman from 1990 to 1994 and was made 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.
Rao had met the-then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the time of inauguration of Nagarjuna Sagar Project and had discussed politics for Telangana. He had also opposed the merger of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh.
He expressed his feelings to Jawaharlal Nehru, when the latter visited Nizamabad. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao condoled Rao's death and said that he was a straight-forward man. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.