An attempt to efface KCR’s legacy Premium

Revanth Reddy is trying to establish Chandrashekhar Rao as self-serving and exploitative

The Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, has been making consistent efforts to efface the legacy of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao ever since he assumed power. Mr. Reddy is trying to delink Mr. Rao from the Telangana movement, the subsequent creation of the State, and the landmarks that the former Chief Minister built during his 10-year regime.

Examples of Mr. Reddy’s efforts include changing the prefix for the registration numbers of vehicles from ‘TS’ to ‘TG’, changing the government’s emblem, replacing the Telangana Thalli statue with a new image, recognising Dalit poet Andesri’s song ‘Jaya Jaya Hey Telangana’ as the State song, renaming Pragati Bhavan as Praja Bhavan, and painting the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, identified with Mr. Rao, in negative light.

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The Chief Minister argues that through his efforts, Telangana will be able to reclaim its identity, which was “in the the clutches of KCR [Mr. Rao].” He said, “KCR captured Telangana, its resources, and its identity using the goodwill bestowed on him. In the combined State, people vehemently fought for self-respect, but lost it in KCR’s regime.”

Mr. Reddy first ordered the huge iron barricades in front of Pragati Bhavan to be demolished. Pragati Bhavan was rarely open for people despite being the Chief Minister’s official residence and camp office. He gave this order even as he took the oath amidst thousands of people at the sprawling LB Stadium in Hyderabad. It was a rare scene as thousands of people walked into Pragati Bhavan without being obstructed by the police, sat on the lush green lawns, and clicked selfies with the lavish interiors.

Mr. Reddy hit Mr. Rao where it hurt him the most when he decided to change the prefix for the registration of vehicles from ‘TS’ to ‘TG’. He argued that ‘TS’ had been adopted by the Rao government to remind people of his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (subsequently renamed the BRS). During the Telangana movement, people blackened the words ‘AP’ on the registration plate of vehicles and replaced them with ‘TG’ despite this being illegal. ‘TG’ was what the people wanted, but Mr. Rao cared little for their sentiments and only cared about his political interests, Mr. Reddy said.

Telangana Thalli became the symbol of the Telangana agitation. Wearing a crown and holding maize in one hand and the Bathukamma (flower Goddess) in the other hand, the statue looked resplendent. But Mr. Reddy argued that the statue, which is designed like Bharat Mata, does not represent the common woman of Telangana, but only a feudal woman. He said that the statue represents the feudal class that exploited the poor. He similarly justified changing the State emblem.