Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President D Srinivas on Monday urged Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to declare April 11th, the birthday of noted social reformer Jyotirao Phule, as a holiday from next year.
Revealing that he had written a letter to the Chief Minister in this regard, Srinivas said that Phule, who was known as the "father of the Indian social revolution", was also a messiah for the backward classes. "He had pushed for reforms in the education, employment and political sectors," Srinivas said.
Responding to Srinivas' words, BC Welfare Minister Basavaraju Saraiah said that the state government would celebrate Mahatma Phule's birth anniversary on a grand scale from next year.
Saraiah further said that he would also talk to the Chief Minister regarding Srinivas' suggestion of a holiday. He added that from 2012, Mahatma Phule's birthday would be celebrated in all the mandals and districts of the state. (INN)