Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) celebrated Deeksha Divas on Friday with its Working President K.T. Rama Rao accusing Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of attacking Telangana’s self-respect and identity.
The day marked 15th anniversary of its leader K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s hunger strike to demand statehood to Telangana.
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It was on November 29, 2009 that BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) had launched an indefinite hunger strike to demand separate Telangana state. This had led to the announcement by the then Congress-led UPA government at the Centre on December 9, 2009 that the process for formation of Telangana State will be initiated.
To mark the occasion, KCR’s son and BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao led rallies and addressed public meetings in Karimnagar and Hyderabad.
The rally in Hyderabad was organised from Basvatarakam Cancer Hospital to party headquarters Telangana Bhavan in the evening. KCR’s daughter and BRS MLC K. Kavitha, party MLAs and MLCs participated in the rally.
KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, Kavitha and other leaders garlanded the statue of Telangana Talli, paid tributes to Telangana ideologue K. Jayashankar and the martyrs’ memorial, reaffirming the sacrifices made for the Telangana statehood movement.
Speaking on the occasion, KTR accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of attacking Telangana’s self-respect and identity. He remarked, “Revanth Reddy’s attempts to erase KCR’s legacy are not just about KCR—they are about erasing Telangana’s history and identity.”
He condemned the removal of Kakatiya architectural elements in official emblem of state and replacing Telangana Talli’s statue with that of Rahul Gandhi’s father, terming it a betrayal of Telangana movement and aspirations.
KTR accused both the BJP and Congress of undermining Telangana’s struggle while referring to Congress leaders as “Delhi’s puppets”. He called on Telangana people to recognize and resist these threats, saying, “Without political self-existence of Telangana people, there is no one to voice Telangana’s concerns in Parliament. Telangana’s voice is only BRS.”
KTR emphasised the importance of remembering the history of the Telangana movement, stating: “Three generations had to endure oppression. Forgetting our past struggles would be a grave mistake. We must teach future generations about self-respect and the sacrifices made to achieve Telangana.”
Urging the younger generation to learn from the past, KTR stated: “History teaches us who our friends and enemies are. Forgetting our struggles will make us vulnerable to future attacks on our existence.”
He compared Telangana’s movement to India’s independence struggle, drawing parallels with the resilience and leadership of figures like Gandhi and Mandela.
The BRS leader said that there is need for another ‘deeksha’ for the sake of Telangana people.
“Today is the day Telangana became a certainty when a Do or Die battle erupted. 15 years ago today is the day when KCR Garu sat on a fast unto death for Telangana statehood. His steely resolve created a formidable compulsion for the political establishment of the Nation. Telangana was not given, it was won by the people’s movement under the able leadership of KCR after a protracted struggle against Congress. Thank you KCR sir for your leadership that inspires us everyday and will continue to do so for many generations to come,” KTR earlier posted on X.
Earlier addressing the public meeting at Alugunur in Karimnagar, he recalled that it was on the soil of Karimnagar that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) took birth. The ‘Simhagarjana’ public meeting held at Karimnagar introduced KCR to the country.
The BRS Working President said some forces used to ridicule the demand for Telangana state but the people of Karimnagar gave them a befitting reply by electing KCR to Lok Sabha with a majority of two lakh votes.
KTR said in 2009 when TRS (now BRS) was defeated, many people passed insulting remarks saying it was the end of Telangana movement but KCR declared a do-or-die battle and finally achieved the goal.
KTR said it was the Congress party that did injustice to Telangana by merging Hyderabad State with Andhra in 1956. People of Telangana raised their voices against the injustice in the form of the first Telangana movement in 1969 and this lasted till 1971.
The BRS leader said 371 people laid down their lives in the first Telangana movement and it was the Congress party that suppressed the Telangana aspirations.
He said KCR revived the movement in 2001 by sacrificing his post and declaring that he was ready to lay down his life. KTR said KCR fought for 14 years to achieve Telangana but some people are now trying to belittle him. “KCR is not just a name. KCR is a movement,” he said.
