PM Modi inaugurates 216-ft tall ‘Statue of Equality’ in Telangana

Telangana | Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the 216-feet tall ‘Statue of Equality’ commemorating the 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya in Shamshabad pic.twitter.com/dxTvhQEagz

— ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2022

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said: “Statue of Equality will encourage the youth. This statue of Ramanujacharya ji is a symbol of his knowledge, detachment, and ideals.”

Earlier in the day, Modi kickstarted the 50th anniversary celebrations of International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Patancheru, Hyderabad. While speaking on the occasion, PM Modi said, “In the next few years, we want to take area usage in the palm oil sector to 6.5 lakh hectares…We’re focusing on food security as well as nutrition security. We’ve developed several bio-fortified varieties in the last seven years.”

He added, “To save our farmers from climate challenge, our focus is on the fusion of going back to the basics and marching to the future. Our focus is on more than 80% of small farmers of the country who need us the most. The Union Budget is focused on natural farming and digital agriculture.”

Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of ICRISAT. https://t.co/Qfteflgnxe

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 5, 2022

While referring to the steps taken to combat climate change, PM Modi further said, “India has set a target of Net-Zero by 2070. We have also called for a pro-planet people’s movement that is crucial to combat climate change and connects every individual with climate.”

Earlier, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav were among the VIPs who received Modi at the airport. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was conspicuously absent as Modi arrived.

A communication from the CMO had said Talasani Srinivas Yadav was nominated as the Minister-in-Waiting to receive and see off the Prime Minister during his visit. News agency PTI reported quoting sources in the Pragati Bhavan, Rao’s official residence, that the CM was not well and was “suffering from fever”.

However, Telangana BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar took strong exception to Rao’s absence at the airport, saying it was “shameful on the part of the CM” to give the occasion a miss.

“It is very much evident that the chief minister does not want to show his face to the Prime Minister, as the entire country was abhorring his filthy abuses hurled at the latter,” he said, PTI reported.

“Mr KCR, Is this your culture? You claim to have read 80,000 books. Is it what you have learnt from them?” he added.

Rao has recently criticised the Union Budget, calling it a ‘golmaal Budget’ which was a “betrayal” of the people of the country.  Alleging that both Congress and BJP have failed to make the country realise its potential, he had said he would make efforts towards bringing about “qualitative change”.

Modi is a “very short-sighted Prime Minister” as the Budget has proposed setting up an arbitration centre for dispute resolution in GIFT city in Gujarat though such a centre is already being established in Hyderabad, Rao had claimed.

(With agency inputs)