Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday hailed the decision of the Congress government to install a statue of Telangana Talli at the Secretariat, describing the likeness of the statue and depiction as a reflection of the emotions, aspirations of the people of Telangana, and their culture.
Revanth Reddy, in a statement in the Legislative Assembly on the first day of the fourth session of the House, also paid rich tributes to Congress senior leader Sonia Gandhi, whose birthday is on December 9, as the person without whose push towards statehood made the dream of a Telangana state come true.
Extending greetings to Sonia Gandhi on her 78th birthday on Monday, the Chief Minister said: “There exists a strong inseparable bond between Sonia Gandhi and people of Telangana. Sonia Gandhi respected the six-decade struggle for statehood and fulfilled the aspirations of four crore people. It was on December 9 in 2009 that the announcement was made that Telangana will be formed, this date has assumed great significance in the history of Telangana.”
On the new Telangana Talli statue, Revanth Reddy indirectly took on the BRS which has been vocal in opposing the new statue and its likeness. “It is unfortunate that the image of Telangana Talli was not officially approved till now. “
After discussions with experts, and intellectuals, the decision to create Telangana Talli in the likeness of a mother, and not that of a goddess was arrived at, he said.
“Should Telangana Talli be adorned with diamonds, precious stones and crowns? Or should the likeness represent a mother,” Revanth Reddy asked. “Unfortunately, some people appear not to like this decision. They are wrong to think that the idea of one person and one party is the idea of Telangana society.”
A government should not be a slave of medieval slavery mentality but should function in accordance with people's aspirations, the Chief Minister added.
Revanth Reddy said that soon after coming to power, the people’s government of the Congress had announced that all vehicles will have a TG registration, honouring the aspirations of youth who had TG tattooed on their chests during the statehood struggle. The government also declared the ‘Jaya Jayahe Telangana’ as Telangana's official song.
After Revanth Reddy’s statement, many MLAs, including several ministers, expressed support to the government’s choice of the likeness for the statue. Among the ministers who spoke were Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, D. Sreedhar Babu, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkatreddy, Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, and Damodar Rajanarsimha.
Also taking part in the discussions were CPI MLA K. Sambasiva Rao, BJP’s Payal Shankar, and Congress legislator Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, former Speaker.
