TS announces 3-day state mourning over Konijeti Rosaiah's death

The veteran politician known for his simplicity and called a man without enemies will be given a state funeral which will take place on Sunday. Rosaiah's mortal remains will be kept at Gandhi Bhavan, the TPCC headquarters, from noon to 12.30 p.m on Sunday to allow people to pay their last respects.

The leader's body will be taken in a procession from Gandhi Bhavan to Mahaprasthanam in the Jubilee Hills area of the city where his last rites will be performed.

Rosaiah died following a drastic drop in his BP level. He was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead. He was 88. He is survived by his wife Sivalakshmi, sons K.S Subba Rao and K.S.N Murthy, and daughter P. Rama Devi.

"Former Governor of Tamil Nadu, former Chief Minister of United Andhra Pradesh, a statesman and a people's leader, Dr. Konijeti Rosaiah Garu was brought to Star Hospitals on Saturday morning in an unresponsive state. We are sad to inform that he passed away at 8:20 a.m," said the medical director of Star Hospital.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao expressed his sympathies over Rosaiah's death. In a message, he recalled Rosaiah as the one leader who brought many laurels to the posts he held, such as in the finance minister, and was known for his patience, gentleness, and simplicity. KCR conveyed his condolences to the members of the bereaved family.

A six-decade political career

Rosaiah took over as the Chief Minister after the death of Y.S Rajashekhara Reddy. He was Chief Minister from September 2009 to November 2010. Rosaiah was first sworn in as interim Chief Minister. His government was rattled by the separate statehood agitation by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. He resigned as Chief Minister on 24 November 2010 citing health reasons.

Born on 4 July 1933 in the village of Vemuru in the Guntur district, Rosaiah studied commerce at Guntur Hindu College. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1968, 1974, and 1980 on a Congress ticket.

He was elected an MLA in 1989 and 2004 from the Chirala Assembly constituency. In 1998, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Narasaraopet constituency. In 2011, he was sworn in as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. He was president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) from 1994 to 1996.

As finance minister, Rosaiah presented the state budget 16 times, a record in the country. He served as a finance minister under Marri Chenna Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy, and Y.S Rajashekhara Reddy.

He retired from active politics in August 2016 after the completion of his term as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. His political career lasted around 60 years.