Hyderabad: The Congress government's grand decennial celebrations of Telangana Formation Day on June 2 have provided a perfect platform for power play and a political slugfest in India's youngest state.
While the Congress government had planned a day-long celebration and invited Congress senior leader Sonia Gandhi, the main opposition BRS has planned its own programmes for three days starting June 1.
While the BJP objected to an invitation to Sonia Gandhi, asking in what capacity she would attend the state programme as a chief guest— chief minister A Revanth Reddy had decided to extend a personal invitation to BRS patriarch K Chandrshekar Rao to attend the celebrations.
KCR is identified with the last leg of prolonged agitation for separate statehood for the Telangana region when the Andhra Pradesh state stood united. His followers also revere KCR as Telangana Bapu.
Revanth was in Delhi a few days ago and personally invited Sonia Gandhi to attend the celebrations on June 2 in Hyderabad. He had also deployed Advisor to Government (Protocol) Harkara Venugopal and Director of Protocol Arvinder Singh to personally hand over the invitation to KCR.
On June 2, Revanth will pay floral tributes to Telangana martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana state at the Martyrs Memorial at Gun Park at 9 30 a.m.
As part of the state formation day celebrations, the Chief Minister will unfurl the national flag at the parade ground at 10 a.m. and receive the guard of honour of the police forces. He will unveil the state song on the occasion.
Later, Sonia Gandhi and Revanth Reddy will address the gathering, followed by the presentation of awards to the best-performing police officers and police contingents. The programme at the parade grounds will end after the photo session with the CM and award winners.
On the same evening, the state formation day celebrations will start on a colourful note at Tank Bund. The venue will also host handloom and special product stalls, as well as food courts featuring Telangana cuisines.
Revanth will inaugurate a cultural carnival that showcases the Telangana culture and different art forms. About 700 artists will participate in the cultural events. The Tank Bund also hosts a special programme of various cultural dance performances lasting 70 minutes.
Following the stage show, the Tank Bund will host a large flag walk featuring the national flags. About 5, 000 people will participate in the walk. During this flag walk, Jaya Jayahe Telangana's full version (13.30 minutes) song will be played. On the same stage, Revanth Reddy will felicitate Telangana poet Ande Sri and music director MM Keeravani.
At 8 50 pm, the celebrations will conclude with a big fireworks display for 10 minutes on the famous Hussain Sagar.
Meanwhile, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has announced a grand three-day celebration to commemorate the 10th Telangana State Formation Day.
Emphasizing the significance of this milestone, KTR highlighted the role of KCR and the BRS in achieving statehood for Telangana through relentless struggle and sacrifices, including KCR’s hunger strike. He called on every Telangana citizen to actively participate in these decade celebrations to honor this historic achievement.
BRS celebrations will kick off on June 1 at 5 PM with a candlelight rally from the Martyrs' Memorial in Gun Park to the Amar Jyoti at Tank Bund. This event is organized to pay homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of Telangana. KCR will grace the occasion with his presence, alongside numerous Telangana activists and citizens.
On June 2, the main celebrations will take place at Telangana Bhavan, the party’s central office. At 9 30 AM, BRS President KCR will hoist the national flag as well as the party flag. Following the flag-hoisting ceremony, KCR will address the party cadre, reflecting on the journey of Telangana and the pivotal role played by the BRS in realizing the dream of a separate state.
The final day, June 3, will feature district-level meetings and celebrations under the leadership of district party presidents. These activities will include the hoisting of the party flag, followed by various service activities such as fruit and food distribution to the needy.