Hyderabad: The Congress-led Telangana government’s plan to change the state emblem seems to have been quietly scrapped for now. Those closer to the establishment reportedly advised the chief minister Revanth Reddy-led government to not add more fuel to the fire. The issue flared up earlier in June after it was alleged that the Charminar and the Kakatiya arch would be removed from the existing emblem.
According to the source close to the Telangana government, people advising chief minister Revanth Reddy asked him not to let any issue create such controversy. “So the government has decided to wait on this issue before taking any decision, as it said that this is not a priority item,” the source told Siasat.com.
The government decision to change Telangana’s emblem had kicked-up a storm in June and even drew criticism from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). A photo circulating on social media earlier claimed that the new design has the Matryrs Memorial under the Ashokan emblem, two twigs with leaves rising from the martyrs memorial, with the Government of Telangana written in four languages including Hindi, Telugu and Urdu. It is not known if the picture was the final design before approval.
Sources from the state government in June also told Siasat.com that the new emblem will definitely have a symbolic representation of the Charminar, if not the whole thing. One of the reasons why the supposed removal of the Charminar from the emblem caused a furore was is that it was seen by Muslims as a slight – to remove their identity from the emblem.
After Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy dropped news of the emblem being changed, BRS working president and ex-IT minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) earlier this week visited the Charminar to protest against the move.
“They partly had a genuine reason to change it. When KCR made the current after Telangana’s formation, there was some criticism. I think it should be changed as the current logo has historical landmarks in it, as Telangana’s history is also about the struggle about our people. That was one critique we had. The emblem now is not conveying that message,” the source told Siasat.com
He added that while the same sentiments were also conveyed to ex-chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), it fell on deaf ears. “Communication channels were choked up. I had said now also that Charminar cannot be removed, as it needs to find a place in the emblem. The government had also agreed with the same sentiment, but for now the emblem will not see any change,” the source informed.
The Charminar is Hyderabad’s foundation, being built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth king of the Qutb Shahi or Golconda dynasty (1518-1691). It was built as the centre of the city, which was founded as the king decided to move out of the Golconda fort, which was the capital of the kingdom until Hyderabad came into existence.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s grandfather Sultan Quli had founded the kingdom, and had originally come from Hamadan in Iran to India in the late 15th century as a refugee. The Kakatiyas from Telangana had ruled the state with Warangal as their capital between the 12th and 14th centuries.
