Row over statue at T’gana Secretariat

Hyderabad: The foundation stone laid by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for installing a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in front of the State Secretariat has triggered a row.

Main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has demanded the government to drop the move, saying the land was earmarked for installing a statue of Telangana ‘Talli’ (mother).

BRS leaders opposed the installation of Rajiv Gandhi’s statue, saying the former Prime Minister has no specific relevance to Telangana while the statue of Telangana Talli symbolises the state’s cultural identity.

BRS leader K. Kavitha on Thursday raised her concern over the proposed statue in front of the Secretariat. In a letter to Telangana Legislative Council Chairman, the BRS MLC said that as an elected representative, she is deeply committed to preserving the cultural identity of Telangana.

She added that the previous government had planned to install a Telangana Talli statue at the Secretariat and that the decision had widespread support because it was seen as a way to honour our state’s rich cultural heritage and make us proud of our Telangana roots.

Kavitha, the daughter of BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, said that she was troubled to hear that the present government has changed this plan. Instead of the Telangana Talli statue, they have decided to lay the foundation stone for a statue of Rajiv Gandhi.

She said while she respects Rajiv Gandhi’s contributions to the nation, putting his statue ahead of Telangana Talli is not the right decision.