Chandrababu Naidu forgets history, says TDP brought rice to Telangana

In a statement that reeked of both utter arrogance and ignorance, he said the people of Telangana ate rice for the first time only after the TDP came to power

Hyderabad: Old habits die hard, especially for former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Nearly nine years after the formation of Telangana State which is surging ahead of others in all sectors, Telugu Desam Party national president N Chandrababu Naidu once again waded into an ugly controversy with comments that belittle the people of Telangana and their habits. In a statement that reeked of both utter arrogance and ignorance, he said the people of Telangana ate rice for the first time only after the TDP came to power.

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“Before the advent of TDP, people ate only maize, ragi and bajra in Telangana. They had the privilege of consuming rice only after the then TDP government initiated its flagship “Rs 2 per kg” rice scheme,” Naidu said, appearing to have forgotten that rice, including rice-based dishes like the Hyderabadi biryani were part of the region’s cuisine much before he even entered politics.

Launching the Intintiki Telugu Desam programme in Hyderabad on Sunday, Naidu, who also appeared to completely oblivious to the massive transformation of Telangana, especially in the living standards of the people and farmers here, also termed the TDP as the reason for wealth creation and good living standards in Telangana. He claimed that the party encouraged and promoted the poor leaders of Telangana.

“TDP is the first party to introduce welfare schemes for the poor,” he claimed.

Naidu’s remarks drew severe flak from many, who pointed out that the desire for a separate State strengthened and prompted the people of Telangana to fight and achieve independence only from such hegemonic ideology. Many pointed out that even after nine years, leaders from Andhra Pradesh were still suffering from a superiority complex. A few denizens also advised Naidu to get admitted in a mental hospital. On his comments on rice, some wondered if “Hyderabadi Biryani” was cooked with millets before the TDP provided rice in Telangana, while others joked that rice itself was invented by Naidu.

Incidentally, this is not the first time that Chandrababu Naidu has triggered a controversy with such comments. During his tenure as the Chief Minister of truncated Andhra Pradesh, Naidu made these comments at a meeting in Guntur and had faced a severe backlash from the people of Telangana.