Undavalli Arun Kumar pens book on former Andhra CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Former two-time MP Undavalli Arun Kumar released his book ‘YSR tho’ on Tuesday. The former Congress party leader has penned down memories from his days with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.

The launch event, held in Hyderabad, was attended by former CM K Rosaiah, retired Supreme Court Justice Jasti Chalameshwar and senior retired bureaucrats such as former AP chief secretaries P Ramakanth Reddy, Mohan Kanda, IYR Krishna Rao and former AP DGP SSP Yadav. YSR’s close friend and confidant KVP Ramachandra Rao was also present at the event.

Speaking to the gathering, Arun Kumar recalled how YSR had elevated him, an ‘ordinary’ member of the Congress party from Rajahmundry, into a two-time member of Parliament. He explained to crowd that his book contains several anecdotes of his meetings with the late Chief Minister.

It may be noted that Arun Kumar had earlier acted as translator to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several national leaders of the party during their visits to the erstwhile State.  Justice Chalameshwar too recalled the first time he met Rajasekhar Reddy, who was then an Opposition leader, and he himself was only a government pleader.

“My association with YSR was a strange one,” he said. Chalameshwar added that YSR was one of the few people in the State who were able to ‘gain the people’s affection’. “Gandhiji was one man who able to connect to the people at large and get their affection. There is none who can match him at that. But in the Telugu States, (former chief ministers) YSR and NT Rama Rao are good contenders,” he said.
Vijay Kumar of Emesco Publications, the publisher of the book, recalled how YSR would address everyone in a cordial manner. “He would recognise me on every single of the six occasions I met him to invite him for book launches,”he said.

‘He always recognised me’

Vijay Kumar, the publisher of the book, recalled how YSR would address everyone in a cordial manner. “He recognised me on every one of the six occasions I met him to invite him for book launches,” he said

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