Annapurna row heats up: Talasani warns Congress against name change without GHMC vote

Hyderabad: Mounting a direct challenge to the Congress-led government, BRS MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Saturday warned against renaming Annapurna canteens without first securing GHMC Council approval.

Leading BRS corporators in a protest outside the GHMC headquarters, Sanath Nagar MLA Talasani accused the Congress of attempting to erase public welfare schemes started under the KCR government.

He said the Annapurna canteen programme was launched to ensure affordable meals for the urban poor and daily migrants in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. “You want to change the name? Take it to the Council and get the numbers. Don’t do it from the Secretariat,” he said.

Talasani questioned the need to tamper with a name that has gained wide public recall and spiritual resonance. “Annapurna isn’t just a welfare scheme. It’s the name of a goddess. It carries dignity. Why strip that away?”

He also reminded that when the BRS was in power, it continued schemes like Arogyasri introduced by the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy without altering names. “We respected what came before us,” he said.

“Congress gave six guarantees in the election. Let them name new schemes after those. But don’t rename Annapurna to claim credit,” he added.

Targeting the government further, Talasani said, “Today they’re cutting ribbons at the PJR flyover. But who built it? They have a habit of painting their colour on others’ work.”

He warned of large-scale protests if the government proceeds with the renaming.