BRS Lauds KCR, Slams Congress On Deeksha Divas

On Deeksha Divas, which is what the BRS celebrates November 29 as, BRS working president K T Rama Rao today accused the Congress of a long history of betrayal, and urged the people to renew their commitment to protecting Telangana's self-respect and hard-won Statehood.

Addressing party leaders, movement veterans and the public at Telangana Bhavan, KTR said, "The struggle for Telangana is not just history - it is an identity that must be safeguarded every single day."

Launching a sharp critique of Congress leadership, he questioned the legitimacy of the TPCC chief, who he said had commented casually on the Telangana movement and KCR's hunger strike. "During the movement, no one knew where this PCC president was. Today he talks recklessly about KCR's fast. Insult us if you want, but we will never tolerate insults to Telangana or its movement," he said.

KTR reminded Congress leaders that it was their own governments - both in Delhi and Hyderabad - that pleaded with KCR to end his fast when his life became central to the political decision on Telangana. "Without the three letters K-C-R, there would be no Telangana," he claimed.

Drawing parallels to India's freedom struggle - including the Jallianwala Bagh, Salt Satyagraha and Quit India events/movements - KTR described KCR's 2009 fast as a turning point in the Telangana self-respect movement. "On November 29, 2009, history changed. KCR's fast electrified the entire State," he said.

The slogan "KCR dies or Telangana comes" had mobilised farmers, workers, employees, lawyers, doctors, journalists and NRIs, transforming the agitation into an unstoppable force, KTR said. Even before that, KCR had spent nearly a decade standing alone with conviction, leading a movement that eventually triumphed, and BRS MLAs had repeatedly resigned for the cause even as the Congress leaders protected their posts, he added.

He said that the BRS had thanked Sonia Gandhi out of courtesy after Statehood, but had never called her the "Bali Devatha of Telangana", unlike Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. He also said that the hands of Congress leaders were "stained with the blood of Telangana's children", and called the party the "permanent villain" in the State's story. Reiterating his charge that the Congress had repeatedly deceived Telangana - from suppressing leaders to poaching representatives and diluting the State's identity - KTR announced that the Rajiv Gandhi statue at the Secretariat entrance would be replaced with a statue of Telangana Thalli once the BRS came to power.

KTR added that Deeksha Divas was not merely a date but a reaffirmation of collective resolve - a day to remember martyrs, the determination of lakhs of people, and the injustices Telangana faced under Congress rule from 1950 to 2025. He said that Deeksha Divas needed to be celebrated like Dussehra or Deepavali - not for rituals, but for symbolising the triumph of good over evil. "Just as August 15 reminds us of colonial exploitation, November 29 and December 9 must remind us of the injustices and broken promises of, and the deaths of over 1,000 youth caused by, the Congress," he said.