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YSR’S
DEMISE: CHURCH EXPRESSES DEEP SORROW |
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The tragic death of Andhra
Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has deeply
grieved churches in India who venerates the politician
as a champion of the poor and dispossessed.
The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) told
Christian Today that it’s member churches and
constituent bodies were saddened by the death of the
Christian politician who was a “true leader with
determination and conviction.”
The council while extending heartfelt sympathies to the
bereaved families remembered Reddy, popularly known as
YSR, as a man who initiated variety of programs for his
own state as well as for the welfare of Christians.
“He wanted reservations for Dalit Christians on a par
with Muslims and was vocal against those responsible for
attacks on minorities,” the council of Protestant
churches reminisced.
The 60-year-old politician was killed when their chopper
crashed atop a hill in the pouring rain in the dense
forest region of Kurnool Wednesday.
The Church of North India (CNI), a member body of the
NCCI, in a statement, said it joins millions of people
who mourn the untimely demise of Reddy who it called a
“dynamic, straightfor-ward, visionary and a committed
leader.”
“He was a person who never forgot his roots. Along with
the Church, India has lost a leader par excellence and
the state of Andhra Pradesh has incurred loss
irreparable,” the general secretary, Rev. Enos Das
Pradhan, said.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India, a charter member of
the World Evangelical Alliance, also rued over the death
and called for “prayer for the family of the late Chief
Minister and for the families of the four other officers
who died in this tragic accident.”
It recalled that Reddy in his message on August 19, 2009
to EFI on the occasion of All India Congress on Church
in Mission, expressed gratitude to the “Christian
churches in India for their service to the nation in the
field of education, health and social work and for
promoting peace, reconciliation and development of all
communities irrespective of caste and creed.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) called
Reddy a “leader of the masses who devoted all his time,
energy and resources for the betterment of people of his
State irrespective of any caste, color or creed.”
“He set his life on a mission so that Andhra Pradesh
could be well placed at the national level. His
contribution to the State and the nation will be always
remembered by one and all in the country,” CBCI said in
a statement.
A devout Christian, Reddy was a veteran Congress party
leader who steered the party to victory in Andhra
Pradesh in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
The Prime Minister along with UPA chairperson and
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several Union
Ministers offered floral tributes to the late leader at
the Chief Minister’s camp office in Hyderabad on Friday
morning.
“In the sad and most untimely demise of Dr Y S
Rajasekhara Reddy, our country has lost an outstanding
leader and the people of Andhra Pradesh have lost an
ideal Chief Minister,” Singh wrote in a message in the
visitors’ book.
Government offices, schools and colleges in AP remained
closed on Thursday. The government also declared a
holiday on the funeral day, which was on Friday.
Incidentally, shocked by the sudden demise of their
leader, about 60 people died in different parts of the
state - some died of shock, while few others committed
suicide.
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This page
is updated on Sep 18, 2009 |
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PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY
10 YEARS CELEBRATION
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