More than 160 people died, some died of heart attack after they heard the shocking news and about 35 people committed suicide - is this a testimony to his popularity or sheer love people bestowed on him?
I don't think I will see another great leader like him again in my lifetime. The biggest strength that distinguished him from any other political leader was the way he connected with the masses, the poorest of the poor even in the remotest areas of the state. No wonder, most of the families in the state treated him as one of their family members and felt deeply saddened as if they lost their own family member.
About six months back, I was at a big corporate hospital in the city and happened to speak to an old man who came from a far away place to get some secondary treatment. I was literally shocked and surprised to hear how he pronounced YSR as God, because he told me that he couldn't have got the heart surgery done and survived had there not been Arogya Shree scheme, which was one of the flagship schemes launched by YSR. While I don't want to talk about umpteen schemes he launched and large-scale welfare schemes he started in his tenure, I would certainly say that he was a different leader who cared for the people who needed help.
People in Hyderabad don't know much about him because he hardly did anything for the city, honestly. While I agree on this upto some extent, he always believed that people outside Hyderabad needed help first than those who are here did!
I personally know how much people in the area I come from (Pulivendula in Kadapa district, his native place) have benefitted from his plethora of schemes during his tenure. No wonder, he never lost even a single election (6 times MLA and 4 times MP) in his long political career that span over 30 years.
He just turned 60 on Jul 2 this year and on Sep 2, 2009, he kept his promise that he made a few years back saying all the politicians should retire from politics when they complete 60 and make way for the younger generation.
YSR amar hai - may his soul rest in peace
