Former Minister, MP, and freedom fighter Bhattam Srirama Murthy passed away at a private hospital here on Monday. He was ailing for some time. He was 89 and is survived by a daughter and a son.
Bhattam Srirama Murthy was a politician known for his shrewdness and taking on big leaders and running long battles with a few of his contemporaries.
He was a good speaker, a well-read man, and a writer. He also worked on the desk for some newspapers in his early days.
Bhattam Srirama Murthy was initially with the Socialist Party and later joined the Congress. He was elected to the Assembly four times. He was Minister three times. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam on the Telugu Desam ticket in 1984 at a time the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant was taking shape. He later went back to the Congress.
He was responsible for appointing M.S. Subbulakshmi official State singer and also of the TTD. He was born at Dharmavaram in Vizianagaram district on May 12, 1926.
He was State general secretary of the Socialist Party in 1957 and later joined the Congress. He was elected to the Assembly from Vizianagaram from 1957 and 1962 and from Parawada in 1972 and 1978. Later, he joined the TDP and was elected to the Lok Sabha.
Bhattam’s last rites were performed late in the afternoon with State honours.
MLC M.V.S. Sarma, MLA P.V.G.R. Naidu, former MLAs Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao and S.A. Rehaman, former Mayor Sabbam Hari, CPI(M) leaders Ch. Narasinga Rao, K. Lokanadham, and G. Ganga Rao, president of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations of AP and Telangana G.S. Chalam, and a large number of people visited Bhattam’s residence and paid floral tributes to his mortal remains.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, president of YSRC Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy, Minister for Panchayati Raj Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu (in a statement from the U.S.) and HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MP T. Subbarami Reddy, and others and organisations like the Uttarandhra Journalists’ Front mourned the death of Bhattam Srirama Murthy.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – July 07th, 2015