Ilaiyaraaja, PT Usha, Veerendra Heggade, V Vijayendra Prasad nominated to Rajya Sabha

Iconic composer Ilaiyaraaja, athlete PT Usha, Philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and screenwriter-director V Vijayendra Prasad were nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate them.

Congratulating Ilaiyaraaja, PM Modi wrote, "The creative genius of @ilaiyaraaja Ji has enthralled people across generations. His works beautifully reflect many emotions. What is equally inspiring is his life journey- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much. Glad that he has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha."

The PM congratulated "remarkable" PT Usha on her nomination and said "is an inspiration for every Indian". "The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian. Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years. Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. @PTUshaOfficial," he wrote.

"Shri Veerendra Heggade Ji is at the forefront of outstanding community service. I have had the opportunity to pray at the Dharmasthala Temple and also witness the great work he is doing in health, education and culture. He will certainly enrich Parliamentary proceedings," tweeted PM Modi while congratulating the philanthropist.

V Vijayendra Prasad, the screenwriter of blockbusters films like Baahubali and RRR, was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. "Shri V. Vijayendra Prasad Garu is associated with the creative world for decades. His works showcase India's glorious culture and have made a mark globally. Congratulations to him for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha," tweeted the PM.