Former Handloom and Textiles Minister Dr P Shankar Rao, demanded that NTR be honoured with Bharat Ratna award for his services to cinema and society. This surprised many at a time when even NTR’s own family members were fighting hard for the credit for installing statue of their party founder at parliament hall.

Nandamuri Tarakarama Rao, also fondly referred to as NTR, was an important state leader and the founder of Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He had won the hearts of millions with his remarkable acting skills through cinema and turned out to be the most popular leader of the state. He had introduced novel
ideas like rice at Rs. 2 per kg. But it is being doubted that his successors will be able to bring the long-awaiting Bharat Ratna to NTR.

All of them, including his wife Lakshmi Parvati and his daughter Daggubati Purandeshwar, are currently involved in a dispute pertaining to the credit for installation of NTR’s statute in the Parliament premises. In the midst of this dispute, it seems unlikely the family is even interested in claiming Bharat Ratna for the great leader. The need of the hour is that all of them join hands to focus on a more important issue of Bharat Ratna rather than quarrelling over such trivialities.