AMRAVATI, Mar 16: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday announced that a 58-feet statue of Indian freedom fighter Potti Sriramulu would be installed in Amaravati in honour of his 58-day hunger strike, which led to the creation of the state.
The statue, along with a memorial, will be completed before Sriramulu’s next birth anniversary, Naidu stated while paying tribute to him at a programme held at his residence in Undavalli.
“A 58-ft statue of Potti Sriramulu will be installed in Amaravati in honour of his 58-day-long hunger strike for the creation of Andhra state,” Naidu said in an official release.
Additionally, the CM stated that Sriramulu’s ancestral house in Padamatipalli village, Prakasam district, would be converted into a museum. A modern health centre and a high school will also be constructed in the village.
“We have honoured his sacrifice by grandly commemorating December 15 as his martyrdom day,” the CM said.
Recalling Sriramulu’s sacrifice, Naidu noted that his struggle paved the way for the formation of linguistic states in India.
Born on March 16, 1901, in Madras, with roots in Nellore, Sriramulu strongly believed in the right to be governed in one’s own language. His 58-day hunger strike led to his death on December 15, 1952, sparking public outrage.
This forced then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to announce a separate Andhra State on December 19, 1952, which was officially formed on October 1, 1953.
The CM emphasised that Andhra Pradesh, formed due to Sriramulu’s sacrifice, would be transformed into the number one state by 2047. (PTI0
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