Bronze Vajpayee Statues to Come Up in All AP Districts: Bhupathiraju

KAKINADA: Union minister of state for industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma announced that bronze statues of former prime minister A.B. Vajpayee will be installed in all district headquarters across Andhra Pradesh. Some of these statues will be unveiled on December 25, Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, he said.

He, along with BJP state president P.V.N. Madhav, Rajamahendravaram MP D. Purandeswari, MLC Somu Veerraju, Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy and Mandapeta MLA Vegulla Jogeswara Rao, unveiled a statue of Vajpayee at Mandapeta. The minister said Mandapeta had become an ideal venue for unveiling the first Vajpayee statue in the state. He recalled Vajpayee’s leadership during the Pokhran-II nuclear tests and the 1999 Kargil conflict, saying he strengthened India’s national security.

Madhav highlighted Vajpayee’s legacy, including the Golden Quadrilateral project that boosted the movement of goods and accelerated economic development. He noted reforms such as the 1999 telecom policy, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which transformed connectivity, education and social development. The telecom reforms, he said, reduced mobile call rates and made mobile phones accessible to ordinary people.

Later, Madhav and Ramakrishna Reddy viewed the Mann Ki Baat programme at Tapeswaram. Madhav said the programme was viewed at 5,000 locations statewide, from booth to mandal level. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of youth achievements, ISRO’s Mars drone challenge, and notable events of November, urging citizens to follow the programme as a civic responsibility.