Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao (March 13, 1899 – September 15, 1967) was the first elected Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State who led the struggle against the Nizam in the princely State.
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was born in a Telugu Brahmin family in Padakallu village, Kalwakurthy taluk, Mahbubnagar district. His surname was Pullamraju and after some time he was known by his village name Burgula. He was educated at the Dharmavanth and Excelsior High School, Hyderabad, he took his B.A. (Hons) degree from Fergusson College, Pune and law from Bombay University in 1913.
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao started his career as a lawyer in Hyderabad and made a great name at the bar as a legal luminary.
As a freedom fighter later, joining the national movement, Dr. Rao led the historic struggle against the Nizam for the merger of Hyderabad State with the Indian Union along with Swami Ramananda Teertha and other leaders. He was one of the founder members of the Hyderabad State Congress. He presided over the third Andhra Mahasabha conference at Devarkonda in 1913 and was responsible for creating an awakening among the people of Telangana for their rights, and promoting the library movement in the State.
Due to his prominent role in the `Quit India Movement' in 1942 and again for his participation in the freedom struggle in 1947, he was arrested by the Nizam's police. K.M. Munshi, the then Agent of India in Hyderabad State, spoke of his great contribution to the timely `Police Action' by India against the Nizam who ultimately surrendered to the Indian forces on September 17, 1948. After the merger of Hyderabad State with the Indian Union in 1948, he joined the Vellodi Cabinet as Revenue and Education Minister.
In the first general elections held in Hyderabad State in 1952, Dr. Rao was elected from Shadnagar constituency and later took over the reins of the State as the Chief Minister.
He was the first and the last elected Chief Minister of the former Hyderabad State and it is a historic fact that after two and a half centuries of Asaf Jahi rule of Hyderabad State, a Telugu man became the Chief Minister and ran a popular administration of the State for almost five years till the State was trifurcated and Telangana merged with Andhra to become Andhra Pradesh.
He took several significant steps for the welfare of the people, including the historic `land reforms' in the State. The passage and implementation of the famous Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Act of 1950, followed in 1954 by Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural lands (Amendment) Act, was an important signpost of land reforms in the country. Dr. Rao not only provided the conceptual framework for these Acts but also piloted their passage and vigorously pushed through their implementation, providing tenancy rights to those who had been cultivating lands for some time.
From November 1956 to July 1960, Dr. Ramakrishna Rao was the Governor of Kerala and subsequently Governor of Uttar Pradesh till April 1962. He was later elected to the Rajya Sabha, which he served from 1962 to 1966. He died on September 14, 1967.
The birth centenary celebrations of Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao were held under the auspices of the Government of A.P. from 13-3-99 to 13-3-2000. The AP Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, inaugurated the centenary celebrations and a commemoration stamp of this great leader was released by the Department of Posts, Government of India, on 13-3-2000. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, released the biography of this great leader on August 31, 1999, at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.
Dr. Burgula's versatility was truly amazing and he stood like a colossus among the leaders of those times and carved out a niche for himself as a multi-faceted personality.
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was married and is survived by his son, Burgula Lakshmi Narayana Rao.
His eldest son late Shri Burgula Ranganatha Rao died in 2008 and Shri Lakshmi Narayana Rao is his only surviving child. He is also survived by his grandsons, Burgula LakshmiKanth, Burgula Sai Ramakrishna, and Burgula Pavan Kumar.
A gold medal for meritorious student in Humanities (Philosophy) at Shri Satya Sai Institute of Higher learning instituted by Bhagawan Shri Shri Sathya Sai Baba varu. A gold medal for meritorious student in all disciplines of engineering at JNTU Hyderabad by his son Lakshmi N Rao and his sons Sai R Krishna, Pavan kumar.
A statue in his memory at GHMC instituted by Shri N Chandrababu Naidu former C.M of A.P, and BRKR government offices building instituted by late Shri N.T.Rama Rao the then C.M of Andhra Pradesh.
EStablishment of Dr. BRKR Govt. Ayurvedic College, Hyderabad S.R Nagar .It is the premier Institution in the State of Andhra Pradesh catering to the Education of Ayruveda.
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