MLA Bigala Ganesh Gupta, here on Wednesday, flagged off the Chhatrapati Shivaji idol procession after offering prayers at Hanuman Mandir at Gouthamnagar on the occasion of the Maratha king’s 393rd birth anniversary. He paid homage to the king describing him as an internationally acclaimed king of Marathas.
Mayor Dandu Neetu Kiran Sekhar, NUDA chairman C. Prabhakar Reddy and Corporators participated.
In a separate programme, BJP cadres paid tributes to the Chhatrapati by garlanding his statue in front of the railway station. The party State executive members Dhanpal Suryanarayana and Baswa Laxminarsaiah, party floor leader in the municipal corporation G. Shravanthi Reddy, BJYM leader Roshanlal Bora and others were among those present.
Talking to reporters, they said that Shivaji was a great king who united the entire Hindu community. He was the symbol of valour and fought against the mighty Mughal Empire to protect his kingdom and Hindu religious values.