Accusing Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of designing the newly-built secretariat like Taj Mahal to please the AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday said the domes of the new structure will be demolished once BJP comes to power as these were not in accordance to Indian culture.
The statement came ahead of the grand inauguration of the New Secretariat named after BR Ambedkar scheduled for 17 February.
Sanjay was addressing a street corner meeting of his party’s new outreach programme “Praja gosa-BJP Bharosa” at old Bowenpally in Kukatpally constituency when he also threatened to convert chief minister’s residence cum camp office Pragathi Bhavan into Praja Darbar. The state BJP is planning to hold some 11,000 meetings in 119 constituencies between February 10 and 25.
“In order to see happiness in Owaisi’s eyes KCR has built the secretariat like the Taj Mahal. If BJP comes to power, we will demolish the domes of the new secretariat. We will make the changes in the secretariat so that the Indian and Telangana cultures flourish,” said Sanjay who is also the BJP MP from Karimnagar.
Incidentally, Asaduddin Owaisi had recently stated that the new secretariat appeared to be more beautiful than Taj Mahal, hence the dig by the BJP president, hinting that BRS was appeasing the AIMIM.
Describing the domes of the new secretariat as symbols of the culture of Nizam (read Muslim) era, the BJP state president went on to add, “BJP and AIMM are the same party. They are sharing power in GHMC and playing drama in the Assembly.”
The BJP state president’s outburst might be prompted by a recent statement of AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi that contrary to the Centre’s rule Muslims were safe and secure under KCR’s rule.
Earlier in 2020 when the plan of the new secretariat was released, BJP’s suspended MLA Raja Singh had also opposed the design, particularly the domes. He had demanded that the design should be changed since the new secretariat looks like a mosque with the domes.
In Karnataka too the BJP and right wing leaders and activists have opposed bus stops and railway station buildings with domes or painted green on the same ground.