The 9.3-foot bronze statue was unveiled to thundering applause and an intensely emotional reception.
A statue of TDP founder, NTR, was unveiled in the premises of the Parliament by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar at a grand function attended by a large number of leaders cutting across party lines. The Nandamuri clan was present in full regalia.
The 9.3-foot bronze statue was unveiled to thundering applause and an intensely emotional reception, as politicians and actors who had worked with NTR, his family members, and leaders of various parties came together to commemorate the occasion.
Led by Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, the gathering also included L K Advani, the leader of the Opposition, and Sushma Swaraj.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, the current TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, and Union minister D Purandeswari were also among those who attended the function.
NTR's son actor Balakrishna was seen getting emotional and hugging his elder sister Purandeswari. NTR's widow Lakshmi Parvathi and Jr. NTR were also present.
Congress ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Pallam Raju, Jaipal Reddy, Chiranjeevi, Killi Krupa Rani, Sarve Satyanarayana, Ravishankar Prasad, M M Joshi and Arun Jaitley also came to pay their respects to NTR, who is regarded as one of the most significant political leaders of Andhra Pradesh.
Later, speaking to the media, Chandrababu Naidu and Balakrishna described NTR as a great leader who was responsible for establishing a separate cultural identity for the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Sonia Gandhi, however, did not attend the function. TDP MPs took objection to her absence, seeing it as a mark of disrespect towards their "Annaguru" (as NTR was fondly known to his followers). (INN)