Congress raps move to replace Gandhi statue at MG Road in Secunderabad

HYDERABAD: Senior Congress leaders are strongly opposing the State government’s move to replace Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at the park on MG Road near Paradise in Secunderabad with a new one. Though they welcomed the move of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department to beautify the park, they expressed concern over some of the aspects of the beautification project which might damage the sanctity of the original park.

Congress leaders including Marri Shashidhar Reddy, V Hanumantha Rao, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, M Anjan Kumar Yadav, and M Kodanda Reddy, after visiting the park on Friday, shot off a letter to the special Chief Secretary for MA&UD Arvind Kumar, reminding him that the existing statue was significant because it was made in memory of an incident when Mahatma Gandhi had stepped out of a train and walked on James Street for some distance. It was set up by the then Chief Minister T Anjaiah Goud, and was unveiled by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951.

As the park’s beautification project included replacing the original statue with another one showing Gandhiji in meditating posture, Congress leaders are opposing it. There are other components which include setting-up rest rooms, library, food stalls which the leaders are opposing.

They, however, welcomed the idea of landscaping, seating benches, entrance, and footpaths around the park which is in a triangular shape. They have termed the idea of having a second statue as a ‘Tughlaq Act”, because the present statue was the first Gandhi statue officially installed, and therefore it should not be touched.

REVANTH TO KICK OFF 
RYTHU RACHABANDA AT AKKAMPET VILLAGE TODAY
Congress has stepped up its campaign against the State government over farmers’ issues. TPCC president A Revanth Reddy will begin his Rythu Rachabanda campaign on the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi on Saturday. The party is planning to reach out to farmers in different villages across the State with the resolutions adopted at the ‘Warangal Declaration’ in presence of Rahul Gandhi on May 6.  Revanth would also be holding discussions with farmers at the launch of Rythu Rachabanda in Akkampet village of Atmakur mandal in Hanamkonda district. The choice of the venue assumes significance as late Professor Kothapalli Jayashankar, who was the main ideologue behind the Telangana movement, was a native of Akkampet. After paying tributes to the late Rajiv Gandhi at Gandhi Bhavan on Saturday morning, Revanth will be heading to Akkampet to meet farmers.