Monday- 17 March: A wrap of news and developments in Andhra Pradesh- Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that a 58-foot statue of Potti Sriramulu will be installed in Amaravati.
Published Mar 17, 2025 | 11:41 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2025 | 11:41 AM
58-foot Potti Sriramulu statue. (X)
Synopsis: In Monday’s wrap of Andhra Pradesh news— CM N Chandrababu Naidu announced a 58-foot statue of Potti Sriramulu will be installed in Amaravati by 2026, alongside a memorial. Sriramulu’s house in Padamatipalli will become a museum, with new health and school facilities planned. Naidu honoured Sriramulu on his birth anniversary, recognizing his sacrifice for the creation of Andhra State.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that a 58-foot statue of Potti Sriramulu will be installed in Amaravati, the state capital, in honour of his 58-day-long hunger strike for the creation of Andhra State.
The statue will be completed before his next birth anniversary on 16 March 2026, along with a memorial in Amaravati.
The chief minister also stated that Potti Sriramulu’s native house in Padamatipalli will be converted into a museum. A modern health centre and a high school building are also expected to be constructed in the village. Responding to villagers’ requests, he promised to build a bridge over the Buckingham Canal.
Naidu also participated in Potti Sriramulu’s birth anniversary celebrations at Undavalli on Sunday, 16 March, where he paid floral tributes to the leader’s statue.
He said: “Potti Sriramulu lived for the people and the Telugu community. Many are born on this earth, but only a few leave an indelible mark on history. As long as Telugu history exists, Potti Sriramulu’s name will be remembered.”
Born on March 16, 1901, in Madras, Potti Sriramulu’s family originally belonged to Nellore. He strongly believed that people should have the right to be governed in their own language. His struggle for a separate Telugu-speaking state led to his ultimate sacrifice.
Despite initial indifference from both the people and the central government, Potti Sriramulu undertook a 58-day-long hunger strike and passed away on 15 December 1952. His death sparked massive public outrage, forcing then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to announce a separate Andhra State on 19 December 1952.
On 25 March 1953, Nehru officially declared that Andhra State would be formed on 1 October 1953. Andhra Pradesh later merged with Telangana but was bifurcated again in 2014 into two separate states.
