Congress the permanent villain in Telangana’s story, says KTR

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao marked Deeksha Divas by accusing the Congress of repeatedly betraying Telangana and belittling the Statehood movement. He said K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s 2009 fast transformed the agitation, and urged people to defend Telangana’s identity and autonomy.

Hyderabad: Reminding the people of Telangana of the long record of betrayal by the Congress party on the occasion of Deeksha Divas, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday called upon the public to renew their commitment to protect Telangana’s self-respect and hard-won Statehood.

Addressing party leaders, Telangana movement veterans and citizens at Telangana Bhavan, Rama Rao stated that the struggle for Telangana was not just a chapter in history, but an identity that must be safeguarded every single day. Slamming the Congress leadership for attempting to degrade the importance of the Statehood movement, he questioned the legitimacy of the TPCC chief who now speaks casually about the Telangana movement and K Chandrashekhar Rao’s historic hunger strike.

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“During the Telangana movement, no one knew where the PCC president was. Today he talks recklessly about KCR’s fast,” he said, reminding Congress leaders that it was the Congress government, both in Delhi and at the State level, that pleaded with Chandrashekhar Rao to withdraw his fast as his life had become crucial for the political decision on Telangana. The hands of Congress leaders are stained with the blood of Telangana’s children, he said, calling Congress the permanent villain in Telangana’s story.

“Without the three letters K-C-R, there would be no Telangana,” he asserted, stressing that those who ridicule Chandrashekhar Rao’s historic fast must remember the price paid by an entire generation. Challenging the ruling party to prove its moral courage, he asked it to make the ten MLAs that Congress had poached resign and face fresh elections.

Earlier, Rama Rao said Deeksha Divas was not just a date in history, but a day to reaffirm collective resolve. It was a moment to remember the sacrifices of martyrs, the determination of lakhs of people, and the injustices committed repeatedly by the Congress regime over six decades, from 1950 to 2025. He said the BRS had thanked Sonia Gandhi out of courtesy after Statehood, but never had called her a ‘Bali Devatha of Telangana’, unlike today’s Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy did.

“Insult us if you wish, but we will never tolerate insults to Telangana or its movement,” Rama Rao said, reiterating that the Congress had always deceived Telangana, from its suppressing leaders, to poaching elected representatives, to diluting the State’s identity. Announcing that the Rajiv Gandhi statue at the Secretariat entrance would be replaced with the statue of Telangana Thalli, he said the BRS would restore Telangana’s pride.

Drawing parallels to India’s freedom struggle and incidents like the Quit India movement, Rama Rao described Chandrashekhar Rao’s 2009 fast as the turning point in Telangana’s fight for self-respect.
“On November 29, 2009, history changed. KCR’s fast electrified the entire State,” he said, adding that the slogan “Telangana vachudo… KCR sachhudo” had ignited every section of society, from farmers, workers and employees to lawyers, doctors, journalists and NRIs, transforming the movement into an unstoppable force. Recalling how Chandrashekhar Rao spent nearly a decade before the fast standing alone with courage and conviction and how BRS MLAs resigned repeatedly for the cause, he pointed out that Congress leaders at the same time had protected their positions and betrayed Telangana.

Stating that Deeksha Divas must be celebrated like Dasara or Diwali, not for rituals, but for the reminder of good triumphing over evil, he said Chandrashekhar Rao was the indomitable son of Telangana who rescued his mother from decades of betrayal. Urging people to protect Telangana’s autonomy from Delhi’s feudal forces, Rama Rao asserted that the BRS, the party born from the womb of the movement, was the only force that could stand guard for Telangana.

“Even in silence, KCR shakes politics. Telangana will rise again with his voice,” he declared.