Sr Cong leader Satyanarayana Rao passes away

Hyderabad Veteran Congress leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister M. Satyanarayana Rao passed away early Tuesday at a hospital in Hyderabad, his family members said. Popularly known as MSR, he was 87. He is survived by wife, two daughters and two sons.

MSR, who also served as a member of Parliament for three terms, had tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on Sunday. He was kept on ventilator after his condition turned critical. He breathes his last at 3.45 a.m. on Tuesday. Hailing from Vedira village of Karimnagar district, MSR played a key role in Telangana movement in 1969. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Karimnagar in 1971 on the ticket of Telangana Praja Samithi. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 1977 and 1980 as the Congress party candidate.

MSR, who had a long stint as an All India Congress Committee general secretary during Indira Gandhi's stewardship, headed the Congress party in undivided Andhra Pradesh between 2000 and 2004.