Telugu
Desam
Party
(TDP)
urged
the
NDA
government,
of
which
it
is
a
constituent,
to
confer
the
Bharat
Ratna,
the
nation's
highest
civil
award,
on
party
founder
and
former
Andhra
Pradesh
chief
minister
NT
Rama
Rao.
On
Wednesday,
the
TDP
passed
a
resolution
at
its
'Mahanadu'
or
the
annual
conclave
here
to
demand
the
highest
civilian
award
for
the
actor-turned-politician.
Addressing
the
'Mahanadu',
party
chief
N
Chandrababu
Naidu
said
NTR,
as
the
late
TDP
founder
was
popularly
known,
deserved
the
award
for
his
contribution
to
cinema
and
politics
and
also
his
services
to
the
nation.
"It
is
the
desire
of
every
Telugu
that
Bharat
Ratna
be
conferred
on
NTR.
We
appeal
to
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
to
accept
this
long-pending
demand
of
the
Telugu
people," Naidu,
who
is
the
son-in-law
of
NTR,
said
amid
loud
cheers
by
the
party
delegates.
The
late
leader
enjoyed
unparalleled
popularity
both
in
the
film
world
and
in
the
politics,
he
said.
Naidu,
who
is
set
to
take
over
as
the
chief
minister
of
Andhra
Pradesh
following
his
party's
victory
in
the
recent
elections,
also
urged
the
central
government
to
rename
the
Hyderabad
airport
after
NTR.
He
said
though
it
was
the
TDP
government
which
got
the
approval
for
the
new
airport,
the
Congress
government,
under
a
conspiracy,
removed
NTR's
name.
The
new
international
airport
at
Shamshabad
on
the
city
outskirts
is
named
after
late
prime
minister
Rajiv
Gandhi.
The
domestic
terminal
at
old
airport
in
the
city
was
named
after
NTR
while
the
international
terminal
carried
the
name
of
late
prime
minister.
Naidu
hoped
that
with
TDP's
Ashok
Gajapathi
Raju
taking
over
as
the
minister
for
civil
aviation,
the
Hyderabad
airport
would
be
renamed
as
NTR
airport.
NTR,
a
popular
Telugu
actor,
had
launched
the
TDP
in
1982
on
the
slogan
of
Telugu
self-respect
and
created
record
of
sorts
by
coming
to
power
within
nine
months,
ending
the
single
party
rule
of
Congress
in
the
undivided
Andhra
Pradesh.
He
died
in
January
1996,
a
few
months
after
Naidu
led
a
revolt
in
the
party
and
became
the
chief
minister.
The
TDP
holds
its
convention
every
year
to
coincide
with
the
birth
anniversary
of
NTR.