Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the installation of a statue of Sardar Sarvai Papanna Goud Maharaj on Tank Bund, describing it as a symbol of pride for the underprivileged and backward communities.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, several cabinet ministers, and public representatives were present at the ceremony. Later, Revanth Reddy attended the 375th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Papanna at Ravindra Bharati as the chief guest.
The Chief Minister said his government was committed to giving due recognition to Papanna, the first Bahujan emperor, and had initiated steps to preserve his historic fort at Husnabad, which the previous government had leased out. He added that the decision to field Ponnam Prabhakar from Husnabad was also part of this recognition effort.
CM links Papanna honour to BC reservation drive
Revanth Reddy reiterated that the Congress government was pursuing 42 percent reservation for backward classes, based on Rahul Gandhi’s directive. He said the caste census was completed with full commitment and challenged the Opposition to point out flaws in the exercise. He accused the Centre of delaying approval of the Assembly resolution and ordinance on enhanced BC quotas, noting that a 2018 law passed by the KCR government had itself become an obstacle by breaching the 50 percent cap.
The Chief Minister clarified that his government’s proposals did not include religion-based reservations and accused BJP leaders of misrepresenting the issue in the name of “Muslim quota.” He questioned why minority reservations existing in Maharashtra and Gujarat were not being challenged by the Centre. “If you are angry with Rahul Gandhi, fight him politically, but do not weaken the principle of BC empowerment,” he said.
Revanth further alleged that voter fraud was weakening democracy, citing Maharashtra where over one crore new voters appeared in four months, and Bihar where 65 lakh names were deleted. He accused the BJP of manipulating electoral rolls to seize power and said Rahul Gandhi’s legal battle on “bogus votes” was aimed at preventing a repeat of such practices nationwide.
హైదరాబాద్ ట్యాంక్బండ్ పైన తొలి తెలుగు బహుజన చక్రవర్తి శ్రీ శ్రీ శ్రీ సర్దార్ సర్వాయి పాపన్న గౌడ్ మహారాజ్ గారి విగ్రహ ఏర్పాటుకు ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ ఎ. రేవంత్ రెడ్డి గారు శంకుస్థాపన చేశారు.
ఈ శంకుస్థాపన కార్యక్రమంలో ఉప ముఖ్యమంత్రి మల్లు భట్టి విక్రమార్క గారు, మంత్రులు తుమ్మల… pic.twitter.com/AID8tKOmgu
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) August 18, 2025
