New Delhi: Slamming his detractors, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Sunday said reconstruction of the state does not mean demolition of the old structures to erect new edifices. Speaking at the inauguration of the new Secretariat complex, KCR said, “I want to tell some (political) dwarfs who do not know about the reconstruction of Telangana. Reconstruction of Telangana means reviving all the lakes in the state that remained dry due to lack of attention in the undivided Andhra Pradesh.”
CM KCR inaugurated the new Secretariat complex, that is 265 feet tall and spans across an area of 10, 51,676 square feet over 28 acres of land in Hyderabad.
Terming it as an “opportunity of a lifetime”, KCR said the new Secretariat has been named after BR Ambedkar so that the entire government works to realise his ideals.
"In order to take forward his (BR Ambedkar) ideals, to make all the employees and ministers who regularly come to the Secretariat to remember his name and keep his message in mind while working, we named our Secretariat, the epicentre of the State administration after BR Ambedkar," news agency PTI quoted the chief minister as saying.
He also alleged that some forces that could not digest the urge for reconstruction, failed to see the overall development of the southern state.
His remarks were in response to the allegations of the Opposition parties that claimed the chief minister was neglecting public issues and his only focus was on demolishing landmarks in the state.
Earlier in February, TPCC President Revanth Reddy had alleged that instead of focussing on public issues, KCR was busy demolishing heritage landmarks, including Nizam-era buildings in the old Secretariat complex, following the advice of his advisers, as reported by Deccan Chronicle.
Meanwhile, Telangana BJP Chief Bandi Sanjay said he would not enter the new Secretariat complex till the domes are removed and the top structure is reconstructed according to Telangana culture.
“All of you go the secretariat and take a selfie but it does not reflect Indian and Telangana’s culture. Even after we form a government in the state, I would not go to the secretariat till the domes are demolished and renovated showcasing the state’s culture,” The Times of India quoted Bandi Sanjay as saying.
“The domes of the new Secretariat have been built in the styles of the Neelakanteswara Swamy temple of the Kakatiya period in Nizamabad, designs of the palaces of the royals of Wanaparthy 'Samsthanam' in Telangana and the pattern of the Hanuman temple in Sarangpur, Gujarat,” a release issued by the government read.