Click to play videoHyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister K Rosaiah was on Thursday sworn as the caretaker chief minister of the state after the death of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.
Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court A R Dave administered oath of office and secrecy to Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan.
Rosaiah, 76, will serve as the caretaker chief minister till the Congress legislature party elects a new leader.
"Usually one feels happy while taking oath but I have taken oath as the caretaker chief minister with a heavy heart. Since this is a constitutional requirement, I agreed to serve as caretaker chief minister till a new leader is elected," Rosaiah told reporters.
He later drove to the state secretariat to preside over the cabinet meeting.
Rosaiah, a veteran leader, has been guiding the government on several matters during the last five years. A veteran of five decades in political life, Rosaiah was nominated to the state legislative council for the fourth time in 2009 and is the lone representative of the council in the cabinet.
Rosaiah served as a member of AP Legislative Council in 1968, 1974 and 1980 and became a Minister for Roads and Buildings in 1979 under Marri Channa Reddy.
Rosaiah, speaking to CNN-IBN before the swearing-in ceremony, described Reddy as a man of conviction and commitment. “It is a great loss. He was a man of commitment--people believed him, irrespective of politics. He was a man of conviction and strong will,” he said.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
