Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday said that the state has set an example of communal harmony by building a temple, mosque and church at the Secretariat.
He made the remark after inaugurating the three places of worship along with Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at the Secretariat, the nerve centre of state administration.
Speaking at the mosque, KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said his government will make every effort to maintain communal harmony and peace in Telangana.
He noted that a better mosque has been built than the earlier one which was constructed during the times of the Nizam.
Stating that construction of three places of worship has set the best example of communal amity, he said this should happen everywhere.
“We set a best example of how three brothers can work together, pray and live in peace and harmony. Entire India can learn from this,” he said.
The inauguration of the mosque was attended by state Home Minister Mehmood Ali, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM floor leader in Telangana Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi and religious leaders.
Earlier, the Governor and KCR had inaugurated the temple and church.
Soon after their arrival, they participated in the rituals at Nalla Pochamma temple.
This was the Governor’s first visit to the Secretariat after the inauguration of the newly constructed complex.
The Governor and Chief Minister also cut a cake to inaugurate the church.
State ministers and senior officials attended the inauguration.
The mosque and a temple were razed during the demolition of old Secretariat buildings in 2021.
KCR had expressed his regret over the incident. He had claimed that the places of worship were damaged due to the fall of the debris on them and promised to rebuild the place of worship on more spacious sites and at the government’s cost.
Christian leaders had informed the Chief Minister that church services used to be held in the old secretariat.
On September 5, 2021, KCR announced that the government will rebuild mosques and a temple along with a church in the new secretariat complex.
Last month, he had announced that he has taken the decision in tune with his government’s policy of equality of all religions and reflecting the secular spirit enshrined in the Constitution.
KCR said that the move will further promote Telangana’s ‘ Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb” or the communal harmony foundation stone for re-construction of the mosque was laid on November 25, 2021, five months after it was razed during demolition of the old secretariat buildings.
The government had allotted 1,500 yards for the mosque, which has been built at an estimated cost of Rs.2.9 crore.
–IANS