CM Revanth Reddy’s comments on toddy tappers draw flak

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s comments while 'interacting' with toddy toppers on Sunday triggered an instant backlash from various quarters, including toddy tappers and the Goud community in particular, on Monday.

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s comments while ‘interacting’ with toddy toppers on Sunday triggered an instant backlash from various quarters, including toddy tappers and the Goud community in particular, on Monday.

The Chief Minister’s comments came during the launch of distribution of the ‘Katamayya Raksha Kavacham’ safety equipment scheme for toddy tappers at Abdullapurmet in Ranga Reddy on Sunday. During the programme, some toddy tappers were made to climb the trees much ahead of the Chief Minister’s arrival and after being made to wait till he, along with his Cabinet colleagues D Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar and Damodara Raja Narasimha, reached the venue.

---

The Chief Minister’s mode of ‘interaction’ was the first to draw flak, with videos showing the toddy tappers dangling from the palm trees even as he, comfortably seated on a dais, went on talking to them using a microphone.

In the videos, which have gone viral on social media platforms, the Chief Minister is seen asking them how much toddy each tapper would get a day. In reply, a toddy tapper is heard saying that from 15 trees, about 40 to 45 litres of toddy was collected. Responding to this, Revanth Reddy asked how much water was mixed in the toddy. The toddy tapper calmly replied that customers would identify any adulteration, to which the Chief Minister replied that people had become ‘intelligent’.

Even as several persons from the Goud community did not find this interaction amusing, with the tappers being made to dangle from the trees, BRS working president KT Rama Rao slammed the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues for making insensitive remarks about toddy tappers. He termed their actions as “downright disgusting and inhuman,” criticising them for cracking crude jokes while the toddy tappers were risking their lives.

“Making those hapless toddy tappers dangle dangerously while the Chief Minister and Ministers crack crude jokes on their occupation is downright disgusting and inhuman! No sane leader would do this,” he said, adding that the State government’s focus on publicity to gain attention indicated the weakness of its policies.

Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) former chairman Anjaneya Goud also condemned the behaviour of the Chief Minister, calling it atrocious. He termed the Chief Minister as the enemy of Backward Classes (BCs), for insulting the Goud community members by making them dangle from trees and mocking their occupation.

In a statement, Anjaneya Goud ridiculed Revanth Reddy’s claims about the Katamayya Rakshana Vachavacham safety kits as his brainchild, pointing out that the initiative was actually started by the previous BRS government.

“No one will believe the Congress party, which disregarded the Gouds without giving them a single seat in the recent parliamentary elections,” he said.