Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy with Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi
| Photo Credit: ANI
The grandiose celebrations planned by the Congress government on the Telangana Formation Day were centred around Congress leader Sonia Gandhi but her likely absence due to ill health might take out the sheen from the event at Parade Ground.
However, Ms. Gandhi is likely to send a video message congratulating the State and its people on the Decennial celebrations. Her message will recall the sacrifices of the youngsters and how a 60-year-old dream of their own State was realised with the Congress support.
Though the government has officially not announced that Sonia Gandhi is skipping the event, yet her absence is likely to be a disappointing moment for the Revanth Reddy government as it was trying to build a new narrative reiterating the party’s claim over the Telangana legacy.
Sources said Ms. Gandhi was keen to attend the celebrations but her health was not permitting her to spend more than 8 hours travelling from Delhi and back apart from spending a few hours at Parade Ground. Doctors also advised her against the visit given her frail health condition and the intense heat that is likely to deteriorate her health.
In the absence of Ms. Sonia Gandhi, the government might prefer the martyrs’ families to release the State song penned by Andesri and composed by Oscar winning music director M. M. Keeravani.
KCR to stay away
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and BRS chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao will not be sharing the stage at Parade Ground. He sent a letter to the Chief Minister alleging that he cannot be part of the celebrations being held to insult the martyrs and the contribution of BRS. He also cited the personal attack by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy against him and the BRS. “The Congress should apologise to the people taking responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of people fighting for a separate State right from 1952,” he said.
Governor may attend
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka invited Governor CP Radhakrishnan for the celebrations at Parade Ground.
