HYDERABAD: The Telugu version of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L K Advani’s autobiography Naa desam .. Naa jeevitham -- a translation of the English version My Life .. My Country -- was released by ‘Eenadu’s’ chief editor Ramoji Rao at a function in the city on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering later, Advani fondly recollected his association with Andhra Pradesh and narrated the important political milestones in his life.

He recalled the philosophical treatise `integral humanism’ adopted by the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in Vijayawada in 1965. The thesis -- the basis for the BJP -- was presented by Pandit Deendayal Upadhya. Advani said Deenadayal was his inspiration.

Advani also recollected the Jan Sangh’s special meeting in Hyderabad in 1974 which discussed Jaya Prakash Narayan’s proposal to all non-Congress parties to come together.

Lauding TDP founder NT Rama Rao, Advani said due to the initiative by NTR the BJP had agreed to support the National Front Government. Even the Left extended outside support to the Government and all the credit went to NTR, Advani said.

He told the gathering that he had seen the Hindi version of Bhakta Ramadas directed by Raghavendra Rao. “I was deeply touched by the movie,’’ Advani admitted and added that Rama, Adi Sankara, had woven a web of cultural unity of the country.

Dismissing the Marxist theory that India was a multi-national State and the Congress’ two-nation theory, Advani mooted cultural nationalism.

Because of its culture, India remained one country, even though there were several kingdoms, he pointed out.

On the issue of separate Telangana, Advani said, “I would have liked to be recorded in my book that the NDA Government carved out not only Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, but also Telangana. It would have certainly happened if the support that certain parties have now pledged to the formation of Telangana had been forthcoming during the NDA rule. If that had happened, Telangana would have been a reality by now.’’ Advani said he wished Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) founder Chiranjeevi all the best when the latter had called him up.

Sri Tridandi Ramanuja China Jeeyar Swami, former Uttar Pradesh Governor B Satyanarayana Reddy, former Union Cabinet secretary TR Prasad and publisher Ashok Kumar also spoke.