Published May 29, 2026 | 10:48 AM ⚊ Updated May 29, 2026 | 10:48 AM
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy unveiled an NTR statue in Hyderabad.
Synopsis: The recent unveiling of an NTR statue in Hyderabad by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy risks alienating Congress’s core Telangana base, eroding the party’s hard-won identity, and ultimately dumping Congress into electoral irrelevance by 2028-29. NTR’s contributions are undeniable in united Andhra. Yet, in Telangana’s collective memory, his TDP often symbolised resistance to separate statehood.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s unveiling of a 23-foot statue of NT Rama Rao (NTR) at Maitrivanam junction in Ameerpet, Hyderabad, on 28 May, marks not bold statesmanship but a glaring political misstep.
In a state born from the fires of regional assertion against perceived Andhra dominance, this grand gesture to a figure whose TDP legacy is deeply intertwined with opposition to bifurcation is tone-deaf opportunism. Rooted in Revanth’s personal history and tactical flirtations, it risks alienating Congress’s core Telangana base, eroding the party’s hard-won identity, and ultimately dumping Congress into electoral irrelevance by 2028-29.
NTR’s contributions as a cine icon and populist reformer — rice at ₹2/kg, women’s initiatives, and the anti-Congress wave in 1983 — are undeniable in united Andhra. Yet, in Telangana’s collective memory, his TDP often symbolised resistance to separate statehood.
The Telangana movement, gaining momentum from the 1960s and peaking post-2000s, framed TDP as lukewarm or obstructive, prioritising Telugu unity over regional aspirations.
Genuine Telanganites rejected TDP decades ago; by the 2004-2014 era, the party was sidelined as TRS (now BRS) monopolised the statehood narrative.
Voters did not merely “forget” NTR — they consciously discarded the political ecosystem that failed their distinct identity. Installing his imposing statue in Hyderabad’s bustling heart feels like reopening old wounds, prioritising cinematic nostalgia over the sacrifices of martyrs and activists who fought for Telangana.
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Revanth Reddy’s own trajectory amplifies the betrayal optics. A former TDP legislator elected from Kodangal in 2009 and 2014, Revanth rose under TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu’s mentorship, serving as floor leader before his 2017 switch to Congress. This baggage has lingered.
Critics rightly see the NTR statue — promised during the Jubilee Hills bypoll — as an olive branch to Babu, now Andhra Pradesh chief minister, who was once his leader.
Recent cordial ties, including phone calls and meetings on pending bifurcation issues like assets and water, fuel suspicions of soft-pedaling. Revanth’s public urging of NTR fans and TDP remnants to “bury BRS” while unveiling the statue blurs enemy lines.
Is this governance pragmatism or safeguarding personal networks? In Telangana’s identity-sensitive politics, it paints Congress as vulnerable to Andhra influence, undermining its role in delivering statehood.
The dilution of Congress’s credentials is profound. The party triumphed in 2023 by channeling anti-BRS sentiment, welfare promises, and unapologetic Telangana pride.
Elevating NTR — an icon whose party was peripheral, at best, to the bifurcation struggle — sends conflicting signals. While Congress has installed Telangana Thalli and other regional symbols, the NTR move disproportionately honors a shared but contested heritage.
BRS leaders are already seizing on this, accusing Revanth of cultural compromise and “Andhra tilt.” BJP, eyeing inroads, can portray Congress as ideologically rootless.
In rural heartlands and among statehood veterans, this resonates as erasure of hard-fought boundaries. Urban pockets with residual TDP nostalgia might offer marginal gains, but the trade-off is steep: cadre disillusionment and factional rifts within Congress.
Electorally, the fallout could prove devastating. Telangana’s politics remains fiercely identity-driven. TDP’s organisational atrophy post-statehood is structural; statues cannot meaningfully revive it.
Yet, by blurring lines, Revanth risks consolidating anti-Congress votes — BRS remnants, BJP, and any TDP flicker — without securing loyalty. Core voters who backed Congress for jobs, irrigation, and regional assertion may drift, viewing the leadership as prioritising personal equations over delivery.
Symbolism is potent in Indian democracy: this one revives fault lines the party once exploited against BRS. Over time, such adventurism erodes the distinct “Telangana Congress” face, mirroring past dilutions that cost parties dearly in regional strongholds.
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Broader implications extend beyond one statue. Revanth’s big-tent experiments reflect national coalition fluidity, but in Telangana, they smack of adventurism detached from roots.
NTR deserves cultural acknowledgment, yet grand installation amid unresolved inter-state tensions appears performative. Commentators and social media reactions already highlight backlash—“shameless,” “no need,” “insult to Telangana”—underscoring public skepticism.
Governance lapses on livelihoods can be mitigated; perceived identity betrayal lingers.
In essence, Revanth Reddy’s NTR overture is a high-stakes blunder fueled by nostalgia and naivety. It will not sustainably advance Babu’s interests but accelerates Congress’s alienation in its stronghold.
Telangana’s pragmatic voters prioritise results over imported icons. Without urgent course correction — recentering on state-specific deliverables and unambiguous regional loyalty — this statue may symbolise not NTR’s glory, but Congress’s looming self-sabotage.
The party that delivered statehood cannot afford to dilute it.
(Views are personal.)
