Thursday, March 17 2005 17:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone of a new airport named after Rajiv Gandhi near Hyderabad, Opposition led by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today (Mar 17, 2005) kept up its pressure by meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.

At present, the existing airport at Begumpet was named as N T Rama Rao Domestic Terminal and Rajiv Gandhi International Terminal, the TDP said in its memorandum to Singh.

"We request your honour to continue the same practice at Shamshabad airport, also by naming the new airport after the names of N T Rama Rao and Rajiv Gandhi, as it is practiced at the existing airport," the memorandum said.

MPs from several other parties including Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party and AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) also joined the delegation.

Amid protests, Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation of the new airport at Shamshabad, about 30 km from Hyderabad, yesterday.

The TDP memorandum said that the name of NTR was emotionally attached to the people of Andhra Pradesh and any move to delete his name from the new airport would deeply hurt the sentiments of the people of the State.