Harish Rao slams Revanth Reddy over Telangana Thalli changes, says Telangana identity under threat

BRS leader T Harish Rao launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of damaging Telangana’s identity, altering the Telangana Thalli statue and considering naming a road after Donald Trump. He said K Chandrashekhar Rao would return as Chief Minister

Hyderabad: Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the BRS Vijay Diwas event, BRS senior leader and former Minister T Harish Rao said he was betraying Telangana, creating a fake Telangana Thalli statue without Bathukamma and insulting the people of Telangana by venturing to name a Hyderabad road after Donald Trump.

Asserting that BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao would be back once again as the Chief Minister of the State, he said KCR meant struggle and sacrifice.

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“Revanth Reddy means back-stabbing and betrayal,” he said after paying floral tributes to the statues of Telangana Thalli, Dr BR Ambedkar and Prof K Jayashankar.

Stating that there would have been no December 9 announcement and no June 2 State Formation Day had Chandrashekhar Rao not undertaken his historic fast-unto-death on November 29, 2009, he said Revanth Reddy was following the path of united Andhra proponents and damaging the identity of Telangana. The BRS leader strongly condemned the change in the design of the Telangana Thalli statue.

“The statue of Telangana Thalli emerged from the emotions and fighting spirit of the movement. People voluntarily installed her idols in every village and colony and worshipped her. Revanth Reddy has no moral right to alter it,” Harish Rao said.

He called the proposed new statue fake and accused Revanth Reddy of removing Bathukamma, the cultural symbol of Telangana, from the mother’s hands. “Revanth Reddy never raised the slogan Jai Telangana, never went to jail during the movement and even carried a rifle against agitators. Such a person has no authority to touch Telangana Thalli,” he added.

‘Rifle Reddy’ jibe revived

Harish Rao revived the old nickname Rifle Reddy, reminding the gathering that Revanth Reddy, when in TDP, had allegedly threatened to use force against Telangana agitators and issued a blank resignation letter to mislead the movement. The former Minister also slammed Revanth Reddy over reports that a major road in Hyderabad would be named after United States President Donald Trump.

“Will you name a road in Hyderabad after the same Trump who put our Telugu children in chains and jailed them in America, who raised taxes and made visas tougher for Indians? Naming a road after him is nothing but an insult to every Indian,” Harish Rao asked.

Recalling the 2009 fast, Harish Rao became emotional while narrating how doctors at NIMS Hospital had warned that Chandrashekhar Rao’s sodium levels had crashed critically and his kidneys could fail.

“I begged him to break the fast, but he told me, ‘Until Telangana comes, even if my life goes, we will fight.’ He clearly said it would be either a victory procession or a funeral procession and asked us to drape the Telangana flag over his body if he died,” Harish Rao said, adding that the fast had shortened Chandrashekhar Rao’s lifespan by at least ten years.

Harish Rao said Telangana, which became number one in per capita income and paddy production under Chandrashekhar Rao’s rule with 24×7 power and irrigation to one crore acres, was again being pushed backwards under the Congress regime because of fertiliser shortage, power cuts, withdrawal of Rythu Bandhu and non-payment of crop insurance.

He warned that attempts to remove the Kakatiya Thoranam and Charminar from State symbols and the belittling of Telangana icons such as Kaloji, Dasarathi and Gaddar would not be tolerated.

“As long as Telangana exists, K Chandrashekhar Rao’s name will be written in golden letters in history. He will fight again for the people and will definitely return as Chief Minister,” he added.