Rajiv Gandhi statue installation sparks political row in Telangana

Hyderabad: Amid a political standoff, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy unveiled the statue of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, opposite the state secretariat on Monday.

The statue was originally supposed to be that of a Telangana Thalli.

Opposition BRS has termed the Congress government installing the Rajiv Gandhi statue in the place originally planned for the Telangana Thalli statue as an insult to Telangana and vowed to relocate the statue to Gandhi Bhavan upon returning to power.

Interestingly, to ward off any such criticism, Revanth Reddy last month laid the foundation for installing the Telangana Thalli statue inside the state secretariat.

“They remembered the Telangana Thalli statue as soon as we said we would install Rajiv's statue. I'm asking Telangana people if it's not appropriate to install Rajiv Gandhi's statue here, who gave his life for the country. Some ascetics are saying they will remove Rajiv Gandhi's statue. Who dares to remove it? I will see who comes. We are installing the Telangana statue in the Secretariat. We will show by installing the Telangana Thalli statue in the Secretariat, the heart of the Telangana administration. We promise the state's people that the Telangana Thalli statue will be there by December 9. KCR, who didn't even go for a last look when Konda Lakshman Bapuji, who sheltered him, died. But we named IIHT after Konda Lakshman Bapuji. KCR is frustrated that he lost power. That's why he is instigating some petty people against us,” said Revanth Reddy after unveiling the statue.

He said though it was not a political platform and didn't wish to discuss politics he was forced to speak to give a befitting reply to some petty talkers.

BRS working president, KT Rama Rao, warned that the people of Telangana will teach the Congress and Revanth Reddy a lesson for hurting the sentiments of the Telangana people. He also said Revanth Reddy should remember that no one can survive in politics by hurting Telangana's sentiment.

In protest against Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's action, KTR has called upon party ranks to conduct 'palabhishekam (milk abhishekam)' to all Telangana Thalli statues across the state on Tuesday. He urged BRS cadres and Telangana supporters to express their dissent against the Congress government's move, which he believes disrespects Telangana Thalli.

KTR stated that the entire Telangana society is deeply hurt by the installation of Rajiv Gandhi's statue in a place meant for Telangana Thalli. He advised Revanth Reddy to rectify this mistake immediately, warning that the people of Telangana would surely teach a lesson at the right time if he failed to do so.

KTR clarified that while they have no objection to the Congress government installing Rajiv Gandhi's statue, they oppose its placement in the spot designated for Telangana Thalli. He reminded that KCR had chosen this location in July 2023 for the Telangana Thalli statue, a decision widely accepted by Telangana society.

He stated that upon returning to power, BRS would remove Rajiv Gandhi's statue from that location and relocate it to Gandhi Bhavan with full honours. KTR assured that they would take steps to ensure that the Telangana Thalli statue is installed in its rightful place.

KTR reminded them that they had always warned about Congress compromising Telangana's self-respect for Delhi's slavery if they came to power. He expressed anguish that Revanth Reddy is doing exactly that, prioritizing the approval of Delhi bosses over the sentiments of the Telangana people. KTR warned that those who compromise Telangana's identity for political gains would face political extinction.