Former Andhra CM K Rosaiah Garu passes away at 88; PM Modi remembers veteran leader

Former Chief Minister of unified Andhra Pradesh, Konijeti Rosaiah Garu, who has also served as the Governor of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, passed away on December 4 due to prolonged illness. The veteran Congress leader was 88 years old. According to reports, Rosaiah’s blood pressure had begun to drop in the early hours of Saturday and he breathed his last on his way to a hospital in Hyderabad.

Rosaiah had served as MLA, MLC, and a Lok Sabha member. Following an active political career spanning nearly six decades, he retired in 2016 after completing his term as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Condolences have poured in from political leaders across South India, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reminisced his interactions with Rosaiah Garu. 

"Saddened by the passing away of Shri K. Rosaiah Garu. I recall my interactions with him when we both served as Chief Ministers and later when he was Tamil Nadu Governor. His contributions to public service will be remembered," PM wrote on Twitter, expressing condolences to Rosaiah's family and supporters.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy, and Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu have also condoled the veteran leader's death. 

K Rosaiah Garu's career

Born in 1933 in the Vemuru village of Andhra Pradesh, Rosaiah served as the Chief Minister of the erstwhile undivided state from September 2009 to December 2010. He took over the position after the death of former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Prior to that, he had been serving as the Finance Minister in Reddy’s cabinet and had also served as Finance Minister in the cabinets of Marri Chenna Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, and others. The Congress leader holds a record for presenting the state budget 15 times on the Assembly floor. He has also served as the President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee. 

In 2011, Rosaiah was sworn in as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, and after the completion of his five-year term, he retired from his political career spanning over 60 years. Rosaiah also served as the interim Governor of Karnataka for two months in 2014, after HR Bharadwaj’s term ended in July untilVajubhai Valla took over in September that year. 

Image: ANI