Telangana would not have happened without KCR’s ‘Deeksha’, says Harish Rao

Harish Rao said Telangana would not have been formed without KCR’s 2009 fast, which pushed the Centre to announce statehood. He highlighted Siddipet’s growth since then and said BRS will build a new martyrs’ memorial. People were urged to join Deeksha Diwas.

Siddipet: Former Minister T Harish Rao said Telangana would have remained an unfulfilled dream if K Chandrashekhar Rao had not launched his fast unto death on November 29, 2009, a day that has since come to be observed as Deeksha Diwas.

Addressing a preparatory meeting of Deeksha Diwas with BRS cadre in Siddipet on Thursday, Harish Rao said Chandrashekhar Rao’s fast had compelled the Centre to announce the formation of the State on December 9. He said that without that announcement, Telangana would not have been formed on June 2, 2014.

---

With the formation of the State, he said Siddipet could be carved out as a separate district, which enabled the government to bring Godavari water to the region by constructing multiple reservoirs. A railway line, a medical college and several other development works were also taken up in Siddipet district over the past decade.

Recalling the role played by Siddipet residents during the movement, he said people had participated in protests at the old bus stand for a record 1,531 days from November 9, 2009, until the State was created.

Though a martyr memorial was built near the bus station, he said the RTC demolished it during the construction of the new bus station. He added that the RTC management had also refused to permit construction of a new memorial on its premises, leading the BRS leadership to plan a memorial near the MLA camp office, with a foundation to be laid on Deeksha Diwas.

Urging Telangana activists, BRS cadre and local residents to participate in Deeksha Diwas in large numbers on Saturday, Harish Rao appealed to the public to share rare photographs of their participation on X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms on Saturday morning.

MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, MLC Deshapathi Srinivas, MLC Dr V Yadava Reddy, and BRS leaders Farooq Hussain and Vanteru Prathap Reddy were present.