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KCR, who skipped receiving PM Modi, welcomes President on Hyderabad visit
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who conveniently skipped receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, accorded a warm welcome to the President on Sunday.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said the concept of equality, enshrined in the Constitution was not derived from western countries, but was developed on the cultural soil of our own country.
Kovind was addressing a gathering of devotees, after dedicating to the nation the 120-kg golden idol of 11th century saint Sri Ramanujacharya, installed in the sanctum sanctorum of Bhadravedi, the huge pedestal holding the ‘Statue of Equality’, a 216-ft statue of the saint at Chinna Jeeyar ashram at Muchintal on the outskirts of the city.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who conveniently skipped receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 5 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, accorded a warm welcome to the President on Sunday.
He, however, stayed away from Kovind’s programme at the Jeeyar ashram. The President was accompanied by Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, state minister for animal husbandry Talasani Srinivasa Yadav and industrialist J Rameshwar Rao during his visit to the ashram.
After consecrating the golden idol of Ramanuja, the President went round the temples of 108 Divya Desikas and the sprawling Yagashala, where homams were being performed. The rituals will come to an end on Monday.
The President recalled that architect of the Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar had clearly stated that the fundamental ideals of the Constitution were based on the cultural heritage of India.
“He also mentioned with great respect, the egalitarian ideals of Ramanujacharya. Equality is the corner-stone of our democracy. Equality before law, prohibition of all forms of discrimination, equality of opportunity, abolition of untouchability - all these Fundamental Rights have been enshrined in our Constitution, as propounded by Ramanujacharya,” he said.
At a time when India is celebrating Azadi ki Amrut Mahotsav, on the occasion of the 75th year of Independence, people should re-discover those values that inspired our freedom struggle. “Then, they will realise how the founding fathers of our Republic connected us to our heritage as expressed in the life and work of Ramanujacharya,” he said.
He said philosophers like Ramanujacharya had created and nurtured India’s cultural identity, cultural continuity and cultural unity. “They have built the concept of a nation based on cultural values. This emotional unity of Indians is centuries old,” the President said.
He hoped that Muchintal would soon turn into a spiritual centre of the country.
