Hyderabad: In a fresh episode of attacks on the ruling TRS in Telangana, Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao wrote to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) N. V. Ramana, alleging that the TRS has disrespected India’s constitutional architect Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
V. Hanumantha Rao wrote a letter to the President of India on September 12, accusing the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of disrespecting Dr. Ambedkar. ”I would like to bring to your notice that a statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar was erected at the Panjagutta cross roads, the heart of Hyderabad city by Jai Bheem Functionaries on April 12, 2019 in police presence. The Statue was dismantled in the early hours of April 13 as per the orders of the then GHMC Commissioner,” he stated in his letter.
He recounted that following the protest from different sections and political leaders, they were arrested and later released. Hanumantha Rao further alleged that a lower level staff member took note of the incident, and said that the statue was eventually thrown in a dustbin.
The letter further stated that later fellow Congress leader and MLA Mallu Batti Vikramarka, according to a press statement on April 14, 2019, went to the site where the statue was taken down and protested against it. Hanumanth Rao mentioned that he had bought a new statue of Dr. Ambedkar from Amlapuram, which was confiscated by the Police on April 18 2019 during transit.
He attacked the state government for its “double standards” regarding Dr. Ambedkar, and lamented no action was taken even 3 years since the incident passed as the statue remains in police custody . He called out the government saying that it makes “tall claims” through the new Dalit Bandhu Scheme.
The Congress leader questioned the government’s claim to erect a 120 feet statue of Baba Sahib, while the government took down the statue erected by Dalits themselves. The leader criticized the government over curtailing the “liberty of Dalits”.