Movement Launched For Sushma Swaraj Statue
The goal is to honour a leader beloved across political lines and revive public appreciation for her pivotal role in Telangana’s statehood: Reports
HYDERABAD: Intellectuals and scholars from Osmania and Kakatiya Universities and Telangana High Court advocates have launched a movement to honour the late Sushma Swaraj with a bronze statue here. Led by former student leader Kasba Shankara Rao, the initiative aims to install a monumental statue of the ‘Telangana Chinnamma’ on Necklace Road, planned to be over 100 feet tall.
The proposal gained momentum after the disappointment that no Telangana political leaders, including BJP members, observed Swaraj’s death anniversary on August 6. Swaraj, then Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had vowed to tonsure her head if the Telangana Bill was not introduced. Alongside leaders like Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, she helped secure the Bill’s passage, Shankara Rao told Deccan Chronicle.
Leading the committee demanding the statue, Shankara Rao announced plans for a symposium in Patancheru. Invitations will be sent to political party heads and leaders of other organisations.
The goal is to honour a leader beloved across political lines and revive public appreciation for her pivotal role in Telangana’s statehood. Despite her passing in 2019, Swaraj remains a unifying figure, affectionately called ‘Chinnamma of Telangana’.
The statue will serve as a lasting tribute, ensuring future generations remember Swaraj’s sacrifices and contributions. Positioned on Necklace Road, it symbolises respect and aims to address fading recognition of a leader who once embodied hope and dignity for Telangana, Shankara Rao said.
As the committee formalises at the Patancheru symposium, Shankara Rao said, “Telangana owes a debt of gratitude to ‘our Amma’ Sushma Swaraj, and it is time her legacy receives the recognition it justly deserves.”