The removal of the statue of TDP founder and former chief minister N T Rama Rao at Musunuru in Kavali assembly constituency in Nellore district has kicked up a major political row in the recent past.
The local TDP leaders and cadre have been agitating for quite some time for the reinstallation of statue in the same place.
The situation assumed serious proportions when NTR’s son and Hindupur MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna entered the scene and threatened to take up a big agitation.
He directed the local TDP leaders to intensify the agitation and told them that he would soon come to Kavali town to join the agitation. He asked them not to relent till the statue of NTR was restored in the town.
However, on Wednesday, the situation took an interesting turn when YSRC MLA from Kavali Ramireddy Pratap Kumar called up Balakrishna and discussed about the statue issue.
He explained in detail why the locals had to remove the statue and why it had led to the controversy.
The MLA told Balakrishna that the back of NTR’s statue was facing a temple which the locals felt was against their religious sentiments. That was the reason why they had removed the statue, but had not dismantled it.
Pratap Kumar said he was also an ardent fan of NTR and hence, would not tolerate any insult to the former chief minister.
He assured Balakrishna that he would take personal interest in restoring the statue and reinstating it an ideal location.
Apparently, Balakrishna got pacified and responded positively to the YSRC MLA’s suggestion. This has put an end to the days’ long controversy, say sources.
