Will strive to guide India in his footsteps, says KCR while inaugurating world’s largest Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad

Related: Know all about the world’s ‘tallest’ Ambedkar statue in Hyderabad

‘Will guide nation in Babasaheb’s footsteps’

Addressing a huge gathering, KCR made no secret of his desire to lead the nation along the path shown by the great visionary.

“I will strive till the last drop of my blood to guide the nation in Babasaheb’s footsteps,” the chief minister said, reiterating that the “next government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 would be ours”.

He said one small spark was enough to ignite a sweeping change.

“I was surprised to see the response I got when I addressed a public meeting in Maharashtra. I am sure it will repeat in UP, Bihar, Bengal, and other states,” he said.

He recalled how he had fought for and secured a separate Telangana, to drive home the point that it was in his blood to fight till the end.

“I vowed not to return until Telangana was created when leaving for Delhi one fine day during the days of the Telangana movement. I left Hyderabad, which was the capital of Andhra Pradesh then, and returned to Hyderabad, which had become the capital of Telangana after Parliament created the new state,” he recalled.

The chief minister took a personal interest in the erection of the imposing Ambedkar statue in the heart of Hyderabad, not far from the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar Lake and the Telangana Martyrs’ Memorial at the Tank Bund, which is a stone’s throw away.

ఇది విగ్ర‌హం కాదు.. ఒక విప్ల‌వం. ఇది ఆకారానికి ప్ర‌తీక కాదు.. ఇది తెలంగాణ క‌ల‌ల‌ను సాకారం చేసే దీపిక : సీఎం శ్రీ కేసీఆర్.#JaiBhim@Koppulaeshwar1 @VPR_BRS pic.twitter.com/ugEbFiFL5g

— BRS Party (@BRSparty) April 14, 2023

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Museum and library

The basement of the statue houses a museum and a library that would house the works of the great reformer who fought for an egalitarian society.

With a helicopter dropping flower petals on the statue at regular intervals, no one was left in doubt about the extent to which KCR had stolen a march over his rivals in endearing himself to the Dalits — particularly in an election year.

His announcement, that he would institute an award in the perpetuation of the memory of BR Ambedkar, also drew wide applause.

He said he was setting up a fund with ₹51 crore and would present an annual award with ₹3 crore that accrued as interest on the principal.

He was generous enough to say that it was a suggestion that came from Dalit leader Katti Padma Rao.

Though he spoke for just 20 minutes, he gave the impression that he was the new leader of the Dalits by not only extolling the virtues of BR Ambedkar but also his plans to economically empower Dalits and other weaker sections.

‘Dalit Bandhu scheme will be extended’

“That these sections [of society] should languish in squalor should make all of us hang our heads in shame,” he said while announcing that the Dalit Bandhu Scheme — under which the Telangana government pays ₹10 lakh to Dalit families to start their own businesses — would be extended all over the country.

“In our government at the Centre, we will implement this scheme for the benefit of 25 lakh Dalit families all over the country,” he said.

The chief minister said he had just received a message from Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao that the statue reminded people of a social revolution and was not just an inanimate structure.

KCR described Ambedkar as one belonging to the entire world but not to any one region or country. He was a universal man, KCR said.

Also read: Karnataka Dalit family replaces Hindu gods’ images with Ambedkar

‘Ensure stable value for Indian rupee’

Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash, speaking on the occasion, urged KCR to lead all other chief ministers in the country to ensure that the value of the rupee stabilised.

“This is what Amebdakar wanted because as the value of the rupee comes down, the poverty of the people would go up. The ₹10 lakh Dalit Bandhu grant given to Dalit families this year would not be the same next year as its value would have come down by then, because the value of the rupee also comes down,” he said.

Prakash Ambedkar recalled his grandfather supporting the creation of smaller states, adding that he was opposed to the formation of states on a linguistic basis.

He also recalled Amebdakar batting for a second capital in Hyderabad in the context of security, as Pakistan and China were too close to Delhi.

He complimented the chief minister for showing a new path for the nation to attain prosperity.

“I want politics to transcend the barriers of race and dharma,” said Prakash Ambedkar.

Minister for Scheduled Caste Development Department Koppula Eshwar also spoke on the occasion.

అంబేద్కర్ విగ్రహావిష్కరణతో సీఎం కేసీఆర్ కొత్త శకానికి నాంది పలికారు : ప్రకాష్ అంబేద్కర్

CM KCR has heralded a new era with the inauguration of Dr B.R Ambedkar statue: Prakash Ambedkar#JaiBhim pic.twitter.com/0s3Q3T1cBL

— BRS Party (@BRSparty) April 14, 2023