Jangaon: Taking strong exception to BJP MP from Adilabad Soyam Bapu Rao about the removal of Lambadas from the ST category list, Lambada activists staged a dharna here on Sunday and burnt his effigy. They also met union Minister G Kishan Reddy and submitted a memorandum seeking action against Bapu Rao for his anti-Lambada stance.
TPCC member Dr Lakshminarayana Naik, Vasu Naik, Swamy Naik and others participated in the dharna. They also demanded Bapu Rao’s suspension from the BJP and expressed concerns over failure to take appropriate action against him leading towards a situation in Telangana similar to Manipur. Bapu Rao had allegedly said that Lambadi tribes should be removed from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list, further derogating them as mere ‘thieves and beggars’. It is said that there are 40 lakh Lambadas in Telangana.