Hyderabad, Aug 19 (IANS): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Monday reiterated that once BRS comes to power in Telangana, the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi installed in front of the state secretariat will be removed.
He said the place was earmarked for Telangana Talli but the Congress government installed the statue of Rajiv Gandhi.
"After BRS returns to power, we will remove Rajiv Gandhi's statue and install the statue of Telangana Talli," he said.
He alleged that the Congress party has insulted Telangana and Telangana’s self-respect and this will not be forgotten by Telangana society.
KTR, as BRS leader is popularly known, also said that in future BRS will also remove the names of Congress leaders Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi from the government schemes and places.
He said the name of Hyderabad International Airport, which is currently named after Rajiv Gandhi, will also be changed and will be named after a prominent Telangana personality.
The BRS leader Secretariat was in dilapidated condition in united Andhra Pradesh and that’s why after the formation of Telangana state, KCR decided to rebuild it. He claimed the new building reflects Telangana’s pride and glory. As a tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar, his tallest statue was installed and the Secretariat was named after him.
He said KCR also built the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial in front of the secretariat so that the rulers sitting in the secretariat are constantly reminded of the sacrifices of the martyrs. An island was created in front of the Secretariat building and it was decided to install the Telangana Talli statue
He recalled that a park developed in the name of former chief minister Anjaiah was re-named Lumbini Park and now in front of the same park the statue of Rajiv Gandhi is being installed who had insulted Anjaiah.
Though schemes and places in Telangana have the names of Congress leaders, the BRS government did not change the names during its 10-year rule.
"There is Rajiv Arogyasri, Rajiv Gandhi IIIT, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Rajiv Rahdari and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Now with the Congress government insulting Telangana Talli, which symbolises Telangana’s existence, we are compelled to say that we will remove Rajiv Gandhi’s statue," he said.
"Our fight was for existence and self-respect. After four years BRS will come back to power under KCR’s leadership," KTR added.
BRS, which ruled Telangana since the formation of the state in 2014, lost the power to Congress in December last year.
The party also drew a blank in Lok Sabha elections held in May 2024.