Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on Tuesday celebrated its 20th foundation day but the celebrations were a low-key affair due to the surge in Covid-19 cases across the state.
With both TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and party working president K. T. Rama Rao infected by Covid-19, the foundation day celebrations were sans the usual pomp and gaiety.
Both the top TRS leaders had tested positive for Covid-19 with mild symptoms and isolated themselves.
For a second consecutive year, the TRS foundation day was a low-key affair due to the pandemic.
TRS general secretary K. Keshava Rao led the celebrations on Tuesday by hoisting the party flag at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters. He also paid tributes to Telangana talli and Telangana ideologue Professor Jayashankar by garlanding their statues.
Speaking on the occasion, the senior leader said people of Telangana will always remember April 27 as this was in 2001 that KCR (Chandrasekhar Rao) revived the movement for statehood to Telangana and achieved the long cherished dream of the people with the formation of Telangana state in 2014.
Keshava Rao recalled that the first phase of Telangana movement could not succeed due to some reasons but KCR revived it by floating TRS. He noted that the dream of Telangana state was achieved in a democratic manner.
The Rajya Sabha member, however, said the task had not completed with the formation of Telangana state and TRS is working to achieve the goal of ‘Bangaru’ or golden Telangana.
Keshava Rao paid tributes to those who laid down their lives for Telangana state. He said the party was not celebrating the foundation day in a grand manner due to Covid-19 surge.
Earlier, Rama Rao appealed to TRS leaders to hoist the party flag in every district and in every town and village while following the Covid-19 guidelines
Rama Rao, who is son of KCR, called for hoisting the pink flag on every house as a mark of Telangana self-respect. He said after achieving Telangana state under KCR’s leadership, the party is leading the state on the path of development.
KCR’s daughter and TRS legislator K. Kavitha also recalled he went to extent the extent of sacrificing his own life for the freedom of people of Telangana.
“Difficulties break some men but make others – Nelson Mandela. Saluting to the real leader KCR garu who went to the extent of sacrificing his own life for the freedom of people of Telangana,” she tweeted.
“Saluting to the millions of TRS family for all the hardship & sacrifice that you endured in the last twenty years for the betterment of people of Telangana,” she added.
It was on April 27, 2001 that KCR had resigned as the Deputy Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Assembly and quit the Assembly and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to float the TRS with the goal to achieve statehood for Telangana.
