HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday expressed strong indignation over the Congress government installing a statue of Rajiv Gandhi in the spot proposed for the Telangana Talli statue.
A spot between the Secretariat and Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial was earmarked for the installation of Telangana Talli statue, Rama Rao said, declaring that the BRS would relocate the Rajiv Gandhi statue to Gandhi Bhavan if it was voted to power in next Assembly elections.
In a statement here on Monday, Rama Rao condemned the state government’s “shameful act” of installing Rajiv Gandhi statue “undermining the identity of Telangana”.
In protest against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s action, the BRS working president called upon party workers and leaders to conduct ‘paal abhishekam’ to all Telangana Talli statues across the state on Tuesday. He also urged the BRS cadre and Telangana supporters to express their dissent against the Congress government’s decision.
Rama Rao stated that the entire Telangana society was deeply hurt by the installation of Rajiv Gandhi statue in a place meant for Telangana Talli. He advised the chief minister to rectify this mistake immediately saying that “otherwise, the people of Telangana would teach a lesson at the right time”.
Rama Rao clarified that while they had no objection to the Congress government installing a Rajiv Gandhi statue, they were opposed to its location as the spot has been earmarked for the statue of Telangana Talli. He reminded that KCR had chosen this location in July 2023 for the Telangana Talli statue, a decision widely accepted by Telangana society.
The BRS working president said that his party would take steps to ensure that the Telangana Talli statue was installed in its rightful place. He reminded that the BRS had always cautioned about the Congress compromising the self-respect of Telangana for “slavery of Delhi” if it came to power. “Revanth Reddy is doing exactly that — prioritising the approval of Delhi bosses over the sentiments of Telangana people. Those who compromise Telangana’s identity for political gains would face political extinction,” he said.
The BRS working president said that BRS was the only party that would fight without compromising on Telangana’s identity and interests. He said that BRS stands for the welfare of Telangana people, not for the approval of Delhi bosses and would continue to be the shield protecting Telangana’s interests.