Hyderabad: Intellectuals write to Rahul Gandhi, oppose installing Rajiv Gandhi statue at secretariat

Hyderabad: A group of top intellectuals has written to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi opposing the Telangana government’s decision to replace Telangana Talli with Rajiv Gandhi's statue at the secretariat.

In an open letter to the Congress leader, Telangana Talli represents the Telangana people's culture, heritage, and pride. “Replacing her statue is not merely an act of removing a monument, but an attempt to erase the identity and indomitable spirit of the Telangana people, who fought for statehood through countless sacrifices,” they said.

Civil Society members noted that Telangana Talli has symbolized language, traditions, and the collective memory of our struggles for self-respect and autonomy. “It is through her that we celebrate our victories, honor our sacrifices, and inspire future generations to uphold our values. Even during the Telangana Armed Struggle, noted poets like Dasarathi and Ravella Venkatarama Rao composed poems and songs eulogizing the concept of Telangana Talli. Once ridiculed and neglected during the time of united Andhra Pradesh, this concept was revived during the second phase of the Statehood agitation for Telangana,” they said.

The design of the Telangana Talli statue was the result of intense discussions among intellectuals, poets, and litterateurs. “Before the formation of Telangana, a statue of Telugu Talli stood in front of the Secretariat, and it is only fitting that the Telangana Talli statue now stands in front of the new Secretariat building. The proposal to install a statue of Rajiv Gandhi, a leader who, while respected in many spheres, does not carry the same cultural and emotional significance for the Telugu people. This proposal is seen by many as an imposition, disregarding the sentiments of those who view Telangana Talli as the embodiment of their identity,” they said.

Intellectuals suggested that the statue of Rajiv Gandhi could be installed at another appropriate location. “We urge the government to reconsider this decision, which is deeply hurtful and unacceptable to the people of this state. We believe that respecting the sentiments of the people and preserving our cultural symbols is essential to maintaining the dignity and unity of our society. Therefore, we call upon the government to retain the statue of Telangana Talli in its rightful place and to honor the cultural symbols that represent the true spirit of our people. We also wish to remind you of your promise during the elections to protect the cultural aspirations of the Telangana people,” they said.

The signatories of the letter include Prof Haragopal, Tankasala Ashok, Allam Narayana, Goreti Venkanna Mallepally Laxmaiah Nandini Sidda Reddy, Ayachitam Sridhar, Himajwala (Iriventi Venkatramana), Parankusham Venugopala Swamy, Naleshwaram Shankaram, Deshapati Srinivas, Ghanta Chakrapani, Katta Shekar Reddy, Tigulla Krishanmurthy, K Sreeinivas Reddy, Professor Dantu Kanakadurga, Rasmayi Balakrishna, Sangishetty Srinivas, Ele Laxman, Sridharrao Deshpande, Buddha Murali, STV Srinivas Rao, Anishetty Rajitha, Inampudi Srilaxmi, Kommaraju Ramalaxmi, Sridevi Mantri, Rajyasri Ketavarapu, Venkat Vardelli, Mangalampally Visveshwar, Peddinti Ashok Kumar, Vemuganti Murali, Kandukuri Sriramulu, Mallavarushula Vijayanand, Dr. Anjaneya Goud, Barri Narson, Sriramoju Haragopal, Ramesh Hajari, Kanchanapalli, Naveen Achari, Juluri Gowrishankar, Varshula Shivakumar, Oddiraju Praveen Kumar, Vemuganti Muralikrishna, Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana, Penna Shivaramakrishna, Kotla Venkateshwara Reddy, Laxman Goud, Dr. Bheempally Prashanth, Vanapatla Subbaiah, Laxman Murari (Banduk), Cartoonist Mruthyunjay, Chimmani Manohar, Yedirepalli Kashanna, Dr. A Jayanthi, Swarna Kilari, Bola Yadaiaha, K Veeraiah, S Balram, Uppuri Tirumalesh, Amarnath, Chikondra Ravi, Biraju Chandrashekhar, Biraju Rajashekhar, Biraju Shyamsunder, Waheed Khan, Veddaram Madhusudhana Sharma, R Ratnakar Reddy, Ch. Usha Rani, Bellamkonda Sampath Kumar, Ponnala Balaiah, K Anjaiah, Siddenki Yadagiri, Chaman Singh, K Ranga Chary, Taidala Anjaiah, Nagilla Ramashastry, Ghanapuram Devender, Veerendra Kaparthi, Pragathi, Parada Venkateshwara Rao, Acharya Pillalamarri Ramulu, Sanghani Malleshwar.