Removing Charminar from Telangana emblem an insult to people: KTR

Hyderabad, May 30 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao on Thursday said that removing Charminar from the Telangana state emblem by the Congress government is an insult to every citizen.

Rama Rao, along with several BRS leaders, visited Charminar for a symbolic protest over the government's decision to change the state emblem.

He said while Hyderabad is the glory of Telangana, Charminar is the identity of Hyderabad.

"Charminar is famous all over the world. Hyderabad and Charminar are inseparable," he said.

He alleged that by removing Charminar and Kakatiya arch (Kakatiya Kala Thoranam), the Congress government is hurting the self-respect of the people of Telangana.

The BRS leader said that if the government goes ahead with the decision to remove them from the emblem, their party would stage protests in Hyderabad and across the state.

He asked Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy what is the need and urgency to remove historic structures from the state emblem?

KTR, as the BRS leader is popularly known, alleged that the Congress government was resorting to a change of emblem due to political vendetta.

The BRS working president said that Revanth Reddy had not participated in the Telangana movement. He alleged that Revanth Reddy wanted to change the emblem just because it was chosen by BRS president and then chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).

KTR claimed that during the 10-year rule of BRS, Telangana witnessed rapid development and alleged that the present Congress government does not want to recognise this fact.

He recalled that when 400 years of Hyderabad were completed, the then Congress government had organised the celebrations with the image of Charminar. "How was it acceptable to the Congress government then," he asked while finding fault with Revanth Reddy's remarks that Hyderabad along with the Kakatiya arch symbolises the autocracy of past rulers.

KTR also recalled former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao had installed Kakatiya arches on both sides of Tank Bund in Hyderabad.

He reminded Revanth Reddy that people voted Congress to power to improve their lives, do good for them and fulfil the promises it had made.