Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday said the government would install a statue and build a memorial for veteran Congress leader G. Venkatswamy in Hyderabad.

Paying tributes to Venkatswamy at a condolence meeting organised by his sons G. Vinod and G. Vivekanand, Mr Rao heaped praises on the Congress leader who was popularly known as “Kaka”.

He said the government will ensure that a fitting memorial is built for Venkatswamy in Hyderabad besides a statue. “We will discuss with the family members with regard to the site. Three sites have been shortlisted,” he said.

The government would officially observe Venkatswamy’s birth anniversary every year, he added. Calling Venkatswamy a stalwart in Telangana politics, he said, “Whenever Venkatswamy fell ill, he said he would not die till Telangana is achieved,” Mr Rao recalled saying, “We miss him, but he lived a full life. Politicians have to follow his footsteps.” The meeting lasted about four hours.