Mothers inspire us, says CM Revanth Reddy at unveiling of 'Telangana Thalli' statue

Hyderabad, Dec  (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday unveiled the statue of ‘Telangana Thalli’ (Mother Telangana) in the Dr B. R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat premises.

Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, who conducted special rituals, the 17-feet-tall bronze statue was unveiled at a colourful ceremony by the Chief Minister in the presence of his Cabinet colleagues, MPs, state legislators, other public representatives, and senior officials.

A large number of women from various parts of the state attended the ceremony, which marked the culmination of the three-day grand finale of ‘Praja Palana Vijayotsava’ on completion of one year of the Congress government.

Addressing the public meeting organised on the occasion, the Chief Minister said his government was rebuilding Telangana by taking it forward from crisis to welfare and from corruption to development.

He said December 9 would go down in history as a historic day and asserted that 'Telangana Thalli' suffered discrimination for 10 years.

Stating that various political parties had created different forms of Telangana Thalli statues, he said there was no officially approved design of Telangana Thalli. He claimed that the people’s government officially declared the mother of the masses as Telangana Thalli.

"The Telangana Thalli statue inspires us as it is the replica of our own mother. Mother is the only identity in any part of the world and for all individuals. Mother is the embodiment of our culture and traditions,” said the Chief Minister. adding that the decision to install the statue was taken after discussing with Cabinet colleagues to fulfil the aspirations of the people.

Revanth Reddy said Telangana culture was insulted for decades in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. Lashing out at the 10-year rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), he said even after the formation of the Telangana state, one person and one political party neglected the aspirations of the Telangana people.

He recalled that during the Telangana movement people had written ‘TG’ on the number plates of their vehicles but after the formation of the Telangana state, then rulers chose ‘TS’ instead of ‘TG’ as the state abbreviation. He claimed that Congress honoured the sentiments of the people by changing the abbreviation to ‘TG’ soon after coming to power.

He said his government also selected "Jaya Jaya He Telangana" as the official song as the song had inspired people during the Telangana movement. He felicitated poet and lyricist Andesri who penned the song.

The unveiling of the statue was followed by a drone show and fireworks.

Earlier in the day, the State government issued a notification approving the Telangana Thalli statue and its features. According to the Government Order, Telangana Talli stands on a pedestal of closed fists indicating the spirited fight for a separate State, and palms held upwards supporting the pedestal. The left hand holds four traditional crops cultivated in Telangana, which include maize, foxtail millet, paddy, and pearl millet while the right hand gives assurance of prosperity.

Making a statement in the Assembly in the morning, the Chief Minister said the design was finalised after discussions with intellectuals, artists and experts. He claimed that the statue reflects the culture and traditions of Telangana.

--IANS