Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao’s assertion that statues belonging to Andhra leaders would be removed from the Tank Bund in Hyderabad drew sharp criticism from Andhra Pradesh leaders on Sunday.
Information and Public Relations and IT Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy said it was unethical if Telangana government made any such move and people would not accept it. He said it was not correct on the part of Mr. Rao as the statues were installed when the State was united. “The statues were put up as the leaders relentlessly worked for Telugu pride and development of the State (United AP),” Mr. Raghunatha Reddy said, while interacting with media persons after paying tributes to poet Gurram Jashuva in connection with his birth anniversary celebrations at Vijayawada.
Speaking at Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers Association’s State-level convention in Visakhapatnam, Telugu Desam Party Chief Whip in AP Legislative Council Nannapaneni Rajakumari criticised Mr. Chandrasekhara Rao’s statement that statues of Andhra icons will be removed from Tank Bund. She wondered if Mr. KCR would also remove Buddha’s statue from Hussain Sagar and send it back to those who have built it.
“The development of Hyderabad is a collective effort of all of us and it is sad to note that the glory of the region is now changing into a different shade altogether,” she worried and added that KCR’s attitude towards AP people is highly condemnable.
