Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday, February 10, slammed the Congress-led state government’s decision to replace Telangana’s state emblem with a new one.
“They (Congress) changed TS to TG and are calling it maarpu (çhange). They now do not want Charminar and Kakatiya Kala Thoranam in the official logo of Telangana because according to them, they represent aristocratic tendencies….Anybody who visits the state from anywhere across the world goes to Charminar. Charminar represents Hyderabad….” he remarked.
KTR also questioned the ‘irony’ of the Revanth-led state government in making poet Ande Sri’s ‘Jaya Jaya He Telangana‘ as the state song which “glorifies Golconda fort as Nawabs’ glory and celebrates Kakatiya dynasty.”
This comes a day after chief minister A Revanth Reddy reiterated the decision of his cabinet to change the existing official emblem of Telangana.
The decision comes on the heels of the state cabinet’s decision to change the vehicle registration numbers from TS to TG, changing the features of Telangana Talli (mother of Telangana) and adopting the ‘Jaya Jaya He Telangana‘ song written by poet Ande Sri as the state song.
“This is the state that fought against the Nizam’s rule. Sammakka and Saralamma opposed paying money to Kakatiya rulers. Unfortunately, the state’s emblem has Charminar and the Kakatiya symbols. It represents the aristocracy and dictatorship of rulers in the past. Hence it has been decided to change Telangana’s official symbol.”
Telangana’s official emblem
The emblem is a circular seal consisting of the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam and Charminar with the three lions of the state emblem of India. It also features the words “Government of Telangana” in English, “Telangana Prabhutvamu” in Telugu, “Telangana Sarkar” in Urdu, and “Satyameva Jayate” in Sanskrit.
The emblem was designed by painter Laxman Aelay and was adopted on 2 June 2014 after the newly formed government headed by then chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao adopted it.
The emblem is a symbol of the state’s cultural and historical heritage, incorporating elements from the Kakatiya and Qutb Shahi dynasties.
