The unveiling of a 23-foot bronze statue of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party founder-president N T Rama Rao at Maitrivanam in Ameerpet, Hyderabad, by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday night has triggered an interesting demand from Telangana protagonists.
On Friday, the Telangana Young Thinkers Forum wrote to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, requesting the installation of a statue of noted Telangana ideologue Professor K Jayashankar in Amaravati, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
Forum convener Rohit Vakrala submitted a letter to Naidu, urging the state government to allocate land within the Amaravati Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) limits for the installation of a statue of Prof Jayashankar, who is widely regarded as one of the principal ideologues behind the Telangana statehood movement.
The demand comes amid criticism by Telangana activists over the installation of NTR’s statue at Ameerpet in Hyderabad, as NTR was a staunch opponent of the bifurcation of combined Andhra Pradesh.
Though there are already NTR statues in different parts of Hyderabad and Telangana, the latest statue at Ameerpet has evoked sharp criticism.
Telangana activists are now asking whether the Andhra Pradesh government will give similar respect to Telangana ideologues.
The Telangana Young Thinkers Forum argued that if statues of Andhra-origin leaders could find space in Hyderabad, the Andhra Pradesh government should reciprocate by honouring Telangana icons such as Prof Jayashankar in Amaravati.
Yet, Revanth Reddy’s move to inaugurate NTR’s statue at Ameerpet on the occasion of the latter’s birth anniversary is being seen as a bold attempt, apparently aimed at pleasing Andhra settlers ahead of the upcoming GHMC elections.
During the Jubilee Hills by-election campaign, Revanth Reddy had promised to install a statue of NTR in Hyderabad, fulfilling what he described as the long-pending wish of NTR admirers.
Several social media activists praised Revanth Reddy for going ahead with the installation despite criticism from certain Telangana groups and activists who questioned the political messaging behind the move.
Commentators highlighted that Revanth Reddy delivered a forceful speech at the unveiling ceremony, describing NTR as an iconic figure whose welfare-oriented governance and political legacy transcended regional boundaries.
He reportedly compared NTR’s contributions with those of national leaders such as Dr B R Ambedkar and Indira Gandhi, calling them transformative personalities in Indian political history.
Supporters also appreciated Revanth Reddy for confidently addressing Telangana sentiment while asserting that several senior Telangana political leaders had received opportunities and political growth during the NTR era.
