Political Tussle Over Statue Installation in Telangana Heats Up

The BRS working president, K T Rama Rao, has criticized the Congress party's plan to install a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at the Telangana state Secretariat. Rao stated that his party would remove the statue if they come to power, replacing it with 'Telangana Thalli'. He also proposed renaming Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

The BRS working president, K T Rama Rao, on Monday condemned the Congress's plan to erect a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at the Telangana state Secretariat complex. He asserted that his party, upon coming to power, would relocate the statue and instead install one of 'Telangana Thalli'.

Rao emphasized that the previous BRS administration had intended to honour 'Telangana Thalli' at the same location. He affirmed that the statue of Rajiv Gandhi would be respectfully moved to a new site, chosen by Congress members. Additionally, Rao proposed to rename the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad after a notable figure from Telangana, drawing parallels to airports in Bengaluru and Mumbai named after local icons.

Addressing an open letter he wrote to Rahul Gandhi, Rao accused the Congress government of reducing the promised crop loan waiver amount, calling it a betrayal to Telangana's farmers and a nationwide loan fraud. He criticized the leadership of Congress in Telangana, highlighting his concerns about the governance under Revanth Reddy.