He also signed the file relating to the Congress' six guarantees and handed over an appointment letter to differently-abled woman M Rajini.
Published Dec 07, 2023 | 4:40 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 07, 2023 | 4:43 PM
Revanth Reddy taking the oath as the CM of Telangana. (X)
The swearing-in of TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy as the first Congress chief minister of Telangana at the LB stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, 7 December, will go down in the state’s history as a spectacular event.
As Congress top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, and several other leaders looked on, Revanth Reddy took over the reins of the state administration, which he described later as breaking free of shackles and experiencing the thrill of the fresh breeze of freedom.
After he was sworn in, he, as promised, signed the first file relating to the Congress’ six guarantees and then handed over an appointment letter to differently-abled woman M Rajini.
He had promised her employment when she called on him in October at Gandhi Bhavan complaining that though she was a postgraduate, she could not get any job in the government.
In his high-octane speech immediately after the swearing-in, Revanth Reddy said that the iron barricades at Pragathi Bhavan had already been removed, signalling the beginning of an era of freedom and that the building — which would be called Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan — was open to the people.
“Tomorrow, at 10 am, the first praja darbar of the new government will be held there,” he said.
The swearing-in ceremony went on amidst thunderous applause. As thousands of people at LB Stadium and lakhs of people watched it on television across the state and outside, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Along with him, 11 MLAs were sworn in as Cabinet members — including his deputy Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
The composition of the team reflected an attempt at ensuring social justice, though it looked a little skewed when it came to the representation of the districts — like one district having too many and others not any.
Congress leaders with the Governor during the ceremony. (X)
There was excitement in the air at the LB stadium since morning.
As the clock ticked to the Bannister moment that Revanth Reddy had been waiting for since his appointment as the leader of the CLP, the crowd appeared they could wait no longer.
The stadium was packed with Revanth Reddy’s admirers like sardines in a can as the clock began ticking away to the auspicious moment.
They exploded in applause when Revanth Reddy entered the stadium in a flower-bedecked open vehicle along with party matriarch Sonia Gandhi.
He went around the stadium, waiving at the ecstatic crowd and then alighted from it at the dais. Soon arrived Rahul and Priyanka with a huge retinue in tow.
There was a slight delay in the arrival of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. She came at about 1.20 pm, a little later than the auspicious hour of 1.04 pm.
As soon as she arrived, Revanth personally received her as she exited the car and escorted her to the dais.
Throughout the session, which lasted for about an hour, the Governor appeared a little uptight and very formal. She hardly smiled at any point in time, even when greeting Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
In contrast, Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka appeared very cheerful, acknowledging greetings from important leaders of the party including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. She was seen speaking to Revanth Reddy as both of them ascended the dais.
Revanth Reddy appeared very excited at the time of his swearing-in. When the Governor began administering the oath, Revanth took a few seconds as if to take a deep breath and then read out the oath from a sheet of paper handed to him.
When he paused after saying “Anumula Revanth Reddy anu Nenu” at the beginning of reading the oath, the stadium resounded with applause as his fans and admirers appeared to have gone ecstatic. Later, he read the oath and then signed it.
Revanth profusely thanked Sonia Gandhi after he was sworn in. He also went to Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka and Kharge and thanked them. Later, while addressing the crowd, he began his speech with the salutation “Jai Soniamma” several times in expression of his gratitude to her.
In his short but powerful speech, Revanth Reddy appeared very keen on wresting the “patent” right to Telangana from KCR’s family.
He began his address by acknowledging the sacrifices made by the Telangana martyrs for the creation of the Telangana state which indicated that he wanted to keep the Telangana sentiment alive to consolidate his position as the chief minister.
He promised to keep always in mind the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives for the Telangana cause and vowed to ensure their families would be treated with the respect they deserved.
Revanth Reddy with Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. (X)
“I will always remember the sacrifices of the martyrs. I will take the responsibility of ensuring justice to all of them,” he said.
He had a separate dais set up near the main one for the Telangana protagonists and the families of the martyrs to watch the proceedings of the swearing-in ceremony.
He said that he was very happy that the people of Telangana decided to end the tyranny and bring in democracy after suffering silently in their state.
He said that the people got the government they wanted and it would be praja rajyam (people’s state).
“You have freed the state from the pestilence that had afflicted it and ushered in a people’s government. I am here to serve you but not to rule you,” he said.
The following MLAs took oath as members of the Cabinet of Revanth Reddy:
