Govt land for Nandamuri Harikrishna's memorial, gun salute spark row

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government’s decision to allot land for a memorial for former unified AP minister and Rajya Sabha member

Nandamuri Harikrishna

and accord a state funeral sparked off a heated debate on social media, with Twitter and Facebook flooded with comments on Thursday.


While intellectuals and pro-Telangana activists criticised the TRS government for giving state honours and questioned his achievements, fans of Harikrishna and NTR said he deserved the honour and this was not the time to criticise him.

On Wednesday, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao ordered a state funeral for Harikrishna. At the funeral, Telangana cinematography minister Talansani Srinivas Yadav announced that the state government will earmark 450-sq-yd plot on Mahaprasthanam premises in Jubilee Hills to develop a memorial for NTR’s son.

“While 300 sq yd out of 450 sq yd will be utilized for constructing the memorial, the remaining will be utilized for parking and landscaping. There is a separate entrance to the proposed memorial,” Yadav told TOI on Thursday evening. Orders to this effect are expected to be issued in a day or two.

Though on earlier occasions, united AP government allocated land for memorials for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and two former chief ministers NTR and Marri Chenna Reddy, there is no precedent of a similar honour being extended to a former state minister.

Mohan Guruswamy, chairman, Centre for Policy Alternatives, Delhi, wrote on his Facebook wall: “A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony-…held to honour people of national significance… What is there in Nandamuri Harikrishna's life that distinguishes him or makes him an inspiration? Only persons of high stature like former PMs, CMs, and acclaimed figures and persons of eminence were honoured with state funerals. Harikrishna is nowhere in that league. He wasn't much of an actor. He wasn't much of a politician. What probably most distinguished him was that he drove his father's election bus. Ironically it was bad driving that killed him(sic).”

“Next question is why is Telangana giving him a state funeral? Neither was he born in this state nor was he an elected official from a constituency now in Telangana….,” his post read.

Yarlagadda AV Rao tweeted, “No state funeral for former MP from Medak, Manik Reddy...Harikrishna gets a state funeral.. Power of settler votes.”

One Raj Karsewak tweeted: “Nandamuri Hari Krishna who opposed formation of Telangana, resigned as MP in protest, died in car crash while speeding gets state funeral & memorial from KCR Govt. Why not for T warriors Keshav Rao Jadhav, Sangamreddy Satyanarayana?? All this to get settlers votes?”

Tweeting in favour, Rajan said: “He was a former cabinet minister and former Rajya Sabha MP that is enough to accord state funeral. Former Hyderabad MP Salar was accorded state funeral. Save your logic for another day.”