Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday vowed to unveil a statue of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in front of the Secretariat within 15-20 days. The assertion comes close on the heels of BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao's threat to remove the Rajiv Gandhi statue and replace it with Telangana Talli, if his party comes to power.
Revanth Reddy also said that the Congress government would install a statue of Telangana Talli in the Secretariat on December 9, coinciding with the birthday of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who is widely credited to be the force behind the formation of the Telangana state.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Revanth Reddy inspected the Secretariat premises to install Telangana Talli statue.
The Chief Minister said that the Secretariat, which is the epicentre of the state administration, is the suitable place for the installation of the Telangana Talli statue with pride and utmost respect. He told officials that the Telangana Talli statue should reflect the Telangana culture and ordered the officials to prepare detailed plans for the installation of the statue.
Addressing a gathering at Punjagutta after garlanding a Rajiv Gandhi statue on the occasion of the late leader's birth anniversary on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy condemned Rama Rao's statements and accused the opposition party leaders of arrogance despite losing power. He warned the BRS leaders that such rhetoric could lead to their social boycott in Telangana.
Revanth Reddy claimed that Rama Rao harboured intentions of installing a statue of his father and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao in front of the Secretariat. He criticised the idea, asserting that the location should not honour individuals who, in his words, "looted Telangana in the name of the statehood agitation."
The Chief Minister said that there is no place for "drunkards" and "thieves" in front of the Secretariat and questioned the BRS leaders as to why they never thought of installing Telangana Talli's statue for 10 years when they were in power.
"The place adjacent to Telangana Martyrs' Memorial in front of Secretariat is suitable for the statue of Rajiv Gandhi who sacrificed his life for the country," Revanth Reddy said.
He stressed that the statue of Rajiv Gandhi, a leader who sacrificed his life for the country and inspired the youth by pioneering the information technology revolution in India, would be unveiled with grand fanfare.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also rebuked Rama Rao's opposition to the statue. He highlighted that Hyderabad's significant progress in the IT sector can be traced back to the initiatives taken by Rajiv Gandhi.
Vikramarka pointed out that it was under Rajiv Gandhi's guidance that then chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy laid the foundation for Hitec City, which has since become a symbol of Hyderabad's technological advancement.
The event was attended by senior Congress leaders, including AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, former MP V. Hanumantha Rao, GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi and MLC Amer Ali Khan, who supported the installation of Rajiv Gandhi's statue and criticised the BRS for what they described as historical revisionism.
