Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay for his remarks against the late balladeer Gaddar over the issue of Padma awards. Revanth Reddy warned that if the BJP and Sanjay continued to insult Gaddar, he would rename the locality where the BJP state office is located after the balladeer.The Chief Minister was speaking at the official birth anniversary celebrations of Gaddar at Ravindra Bharathi, organised by the state government. Addressing the gathering, he said the BJP state office was situated in “Gaddaranna’s state”.”If you insult Gaddaranna, you will be forced to write his name every time you mention your party office address. I will name the locality after Gaddaranna,” Revanth Reddy warned.Revanth Reddy announced plans to establish a Gaddar memorial on Necklace Road in Hyderabad.He also recalled how former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had humiliated Gaddar by making him wait outside Pragathi Bhavan in the scorching sun for hours without granting him an appointment.”Look at what happened to KCR, who humiliated Gaddar. We broke the gates and barricades at Pragathi Bhavan and made it accessible to all. Today, KCR is waiting at his farmhouse, but no one is coming to meet him,” Revanth Reddy remarked.he criticised the BJP-led Centre for rejecting Telangana’s Padma award nominations, which included Gaddar for the Padma Vibhushan, educationist and ‘IIT guru’ Chukka Ramaiah and the the poet Ande Sri for the Padma Bhushan, and poet-singer Goreti Venkanna and poet-historian Jayadheer Tirumala Rao for the Padma Shri. He termed the rejection as an insult to Telangana and an act of discrimination.Sanjay had questioned Gaddar’s eligibility for a Padma Award, citing his past association with Naxalism and claiming that honouring him would be an insult to martyred police officers and BJP workers. Revanth Reddy condemned these remarks, stating that Gaddar had always been among the people and had inspired society through his voice and activism.”Gaddar has millions of fans. The Congress government is officially observing his birth and death anniversaries to inspire future generations. The Gaddar awards for film personalities have been constituted, and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka has been assigned the responsibility of framing the selection guidelines for these awards,” Revanth said.The CM accused the previous BRS government of allegedly ignoring Gaddar’s contributions and death. He recalled how Congress leaders had ensured that Gaddar’s mortal remains were placed at LB Stadium for public viewing despite resistance from the BRS government.Revanth hailed Gaddar as an ideological inspiration who fought for social justice until his last breath. He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to honouring great personalities from Telangana, regardless of political affiliations. “Our government proposed Padma awards for many distinguished personalities, not just Congress leaders. The Centre should recognise the contributions of such individuals instead of displaying bias,” he said.Revanth Reddy also took a dig at the Centre, questioning why five Padma awardees were chosen from a neighbouring state (Andhra Pradesh) while Telangana’s nominees were ignored. He said that the government had sent a letter of protest to the Prime Minister.The CM reiterated his government’s commitment to upholding social justice, citing the appointment of Dalit Vice Chancellors in Osmania University for the first time in 50 years. He said that the government valued ideological differences and would continue policies that benefit the people.”This government belongs to the people. We will follow their wishes and ensure that the legacy of Gaddar and other revolutionaries continues to inspire future generations,” the CM said.
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