Home » Telangana » Kcr Moves To Name Telangana Secretariat After Br Ambedkar

KCR moves to name Telangana Secretariat after BR Ambedkar

The sudden decision of the chief minister appears to be a move to convince Dalits that he was dead serious about honouring Ambedkar.

ByRaj Rayasam

Published Sep 15, 2022 | 5:45 PM ⚊UpdatedSep 15, 2022 | 5:46 PM

A proposed drawing of the under-construction Telangana Secretariat. (OCI Architects official website)

After passing a resolution in the Telangana Legislative Assembly urging the Central government to name the new Parliament building after BR Ambedkar, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has decided to name the new Telangana Secretariat building — which is under construction — after the architect of the Indian Constitution.

The chief minister, issuing instructions to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to this effect on Thursday, 15 September, said naming the secretariat building after the great humanist and visionary was a matter of pride for the people of Telangana.

He said he would soon write to the prime minister to act on the Assembly resolution and name the Central Vista after Ambedkar.

The sudden decision of the chief minister appears to be a shrewd move to convince Dalits that when he moved the resolution in the Assembly, he was dead serious about honouring Ambedkar.

The move also served as a preemptive blow on the BJP, whose members made themselves unavailable in the House when the resolution was moved.

CM KCR garu decides to name the new Telangana #Secretariat Building after Babasaheb Dr BR #Ambedkar ji ✊ @KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/SYDEhLFXVI

— YSR (@ysathishreddy) September 15, 2022

The TRS had campaigned that the BJP was against naming the new Parliament building after Ambedkar, to which the saffron party came up with a laboured explanation that it had immense respect for Amdbekar.

The party also said making a Dalit the President of India should vindicate their credentials that they were with Dalits and that they held Ambedkar in high esteem.

The chief minister, who is getting ready for his brand of Telangana National Integration Day celebrations from Friday for three days, and continuing the festivities throughout the year, set the tone by being one step ahead of the BJP in trying to turn the tide of public opinion in his favour.

He also placed Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who would kick off the Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations at Parade Grounds on 17 September, in a tight spot.

KCR, while divulging his decision on naming the secretariat after Abemdkar, said that the author of the Constitution had remained a source of inspiration for the Telangana government in its endeavour to usher in an inclusive society that cared for all, particularly the weaker and backward sections of society.

As the TRS had imbibed the quintessence of Ambedkar’s philosophy, it could make progress in making an effort to transition into an egalitarian society, he said.

Meanwhile, TRS cadres across the state stepped up the campaign for the Central government to name the new Parliament building after Ambedkar.

They placed memoranda at the feet of Ambedkar’s statutes in their respective districts.