Kavitha ‘sanctifies’ Telangana Talli statue, says govt. fiddling with TG culture and heritage

BRS leader K. Kavitha pouring ‘panchamritha’ on the statue of Telangana Talli at the party office in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

HYDERABAD

President of Telangana Jagruthi and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha has alleged that the Congress Government in the State is attempting to wipe out the culture, heritage and sentiments of Telangana.

Participating in sanctifying the Telangana Talli statue with ‘panchamritha’ (mix of five ingredients such as milk, ghee, honey and others used in performing a puja) at the Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, along with party leaders and activists, as a mark of protest for changing the model of Telangana Talli and installing a statue on the premises of Secretariat sans ‘Bathukamma’.

She said that the government can’t play with the sentiments, culture and heritage of Telangana people by simply issuing a GO and changing the model (image) by removing Bathukamma from the statue that was being used everywhere all these years. She ridiculed the government’s logic of showing Telangana Talli as a poor mother (woman).

She criticised the government for not showing the urgency in implementing poll promises made to women such as ₹2,500 per month assistance and enhancing salary of ASHA workers to ₹18,000 a month, against the urgency shown in installing a statue disrespecting Telangana culture in the Secretariat.

Ms. Kavitha sought to know whether the Congress Government could not find a woman among nine artistes and poets selected for felicitation, house site and ₹1 crore cash award on the occasion of its first anniversary and whether any of the women such as Chakali Ilamma, Sadalaxmi, Belli Lalitha, Maa Bhoomi Sandhya, Vimalakka or PoW Sandhya were not eligible for the recognition.

Stating that there was nothing new or any speciality in the new image of Telangana Talli, the BRS leader said by removing the cultural symbol of Telangana – ‘Bathukamma’ – from the statue and replacing it with the Congress’ election symbol of ‘hand’, the government had not only insulted the people of Telangana but their culture too.

She demanded that the government enhance the salary of ASHA workers to ₹18,000 a month from the existing ₹10,000, which was increased from ₹1,500 by the previous BRS government.