Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress on Tuesday registered a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against using schoolchildren to make a ‘Happy Birthday KTR’ human chain to commemorate the birthday of minister K T Rama Rao on July 24, Monday.
The human chain incident occurred in a government school in Choppadandi, Karimnagar, the Congress said. The Party also displayed pictures of human chain during a protest it held on Tuesday.
In the photo, it can be seen that the students were made to bend and sit in order to create the aspired lettering. Congress alleged that students were forced and intimidated to participate in the incident.
The complaint with the HRC was filed by Congress corporator Daripally Rajashekhar Reddy and a copy of the complaint also was sent to the Karimnagar collector, DEO, and the MEO of Gagandhara Mandal.
The Congress demanded severe action against minister KTR, the local BRS MLA, and officials responsible for the incident.
“School children OR bonded labour? Are we in the era of “Rajarikam”? When the world is progressing in every parameter, we are creating a slave mentality in young children. Educated KTR must be ashamed of this and take action against the teachers who did this,” Reddy said in a facebook post.
“If the school had some dedication and commitment to education, the school would have changed the fate of many children. But this commitment is to please “Yuvaraja” and not for the welfare of the children. What right does this school have to punish children to please a politician?” he further remarked.
The Grand old party also alleged that crores of public money were spent to hold birthday events across state without an audit.
BRS celebrates KTR’s birthday
BRS leaders across the state held celebratory functions commemorating the birthday of the party’s working president.
With tomatoes still priced at Rs 125 to Rs 150 kg in the market, the ruling party leaders came up with the innovative idea of distributing the veggie to celebrate KTR’s 47th birthday.
BRS MLA Mutha Gopal distributes packets of tomatoes to people at Parsigutta in Musheerabad constituency in Hyderabad.
Another BRS leader in Warangal distributed tomatoes. Women lined up to receive the priced vegetable arranged in baskets from the hands of Rajanala Srihari. After a few minutes, there was chaos as people vied with each other to grab the goodies.
Earlier, he along with his supporters cut the cake to celebrate KTR’s birthday.
The same leader had kicked up a row in October last year by distributing a live chicken and a liquor bottle each to people to celebrate Chief Minister KCR’s decision to turn Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) into national party BRS.
Meanwhile, BRS leaders tried to find catchy ways to wish KTR. One of them, Aravind Alishetty showcased a big bus in Hyderabad with ‘Happy birthday KTR Anna’ written on it along with KTR and KCR’s portraits.
The bus also highlighted achievements of KTR in the form of pictures of projects like T-Hub, T-Works, Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge and a few flyovers of Hyderabad.
The BRS leaders resorted to this despite the appeal by KTR to come forward and support orphans in their own way, rather than splurging money on advertisements. KTR announced on his birthday that he will personally support orphan children of the state home, Yousufguda run by the Women and Child Welfare Department.
He pledged to support 47 meritorious children from 10th/12th grades and 47 more from the professional courses under the Gift A Smile initiative. He will provide a laptop each and two years of intense coaching from the best institute towards their firm future.
Ministers, top leaders of BRS, leaders from various political parties and celebrities greeted KTR on his birthday.
(With inputs from IANS).
