Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said the newly designed 'Telangana Thalli' (Mother Telangana) portrait represents the state's cultural ethos and motherhood.
In a veiled attack on the previous BRS regime, Reddy said it is a deficiency that the design and portrait of 'Telangana Thalli' were not officially announced during the last 10 years.
Making a statement in the Assembly on the installation of the 'Telangana Thalli' statue in Secretariat premises on Monday evening, he said the government consulted Telangana agitation protagonists, poets, and artists on finalising the image and portrait.
According to the CM, intellectuals and Telangana protagonists favoured the image of a mother. The image finalised by the government represents the state's culture and traditions.
The design finalised by the government depicts Mother Telangana in traditional attire, exuding a dignified appearance. The right hand symbolises reassurance, while the left-hand holds traditional Telangana crops—paddy, jowar, and maize, he said.
The colours blue, green, red, and gold in the image represent Telangana's rivers, agricultural heritage, progress, and prosperity, respectively, he added.
The closed fists at the base of the statue reflect the state's history of struggles and agitations.
In a veiled reference to BRS' opposition to the change in the portrait of Mother Telangana, he said it is not correct to believe that the idea of one person, party or family is that of the entire Telangana.
Inviting all political parties and people to attend the statue installation event, Reddy suggested that there should be no politics and controversies over the occasion.
The government has invited Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi.
The CM also announced that his government would annually celebrate December 9 as the day of 'Telangana Thalli' coming into existence.
He stressed that December 9 held immense significance for Telangana people as former Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in 2009 had announced initiating the process of Telangana state formation.
Reddy said the greetings and gratitude of Telangana people should reach Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on the occasion of her birthday on Monday.
The foundation stone for realising the six decades-long aspirations of Telangana people for their state was laid on December 9, he said.
Former chief minister and BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao had on Sunday alleged the Congress government has changed the design and portrait of 'Telangana Thalli' (Mother Telangana) out of "vendetta" towards him.
The design and portrait finalised by the government are different from the one made by the BRS during the Telangana statehood agitation.
During the debate, State Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar clarified that no official status has been granted to any Mother Telangana statue so far. He expressed support for installing statues at district collectorates and other locations.
State Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu expressed his expectation that BRS members, who were absent, would address the issue in the Assembly. He also urged them to set aside politics for the statue's inauguration.
BJP member Payala Shankar suggested that it would have been better if the opposition had been consulted. He also expressed the view that the state's floral festival, 'Bathukamma', should have been incorporated into the design.
Speaker G Prasad Kumar extended birthday greetings to Sonia Gandhi and adjourned the House, which will reconvene on December 16.
BRS MLC K Kavitha also criticised the omission of Bathukamma from the Mother Telangana design, according to a release.
BRS president Chandrasekhar Rao had ensured that the design of Mother Telangana was created to represent the culture of Telangana, she said, adding that there had been no objections to the portrait in the past 18 years.
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