TO Political Row has exploded in Telangana after the proposal of the Revanth Reddy Government to confer a Padma Award to Gaddar aka Gummadi Vithal Rao, a revolutionary shot, a renowned folk singer and also a Maoist sympathizer, was ignored by the center.
The prime minister bothered that his government had recommended five names: Gaddar, the educator Chukka Ramaiah, the poet Andesri, the poet-Singer Gorrati Venkanna and the poet Historian Jayadheer Tirumala Rao, by several Padma awards and not one of them arrived in The final ready. He called him an insult to the “four crore people from Telangana”.
The issue intensified when the Minister of State for the internal affairs of the Union, Bandi Sanjay, commented on the state government’s decision to recommend Gaddar. He said: “Giving a padma prize to those who defended Naxalism is like spitting in the tombs of martyred police officers and BJP Karyakartas who was the victim of [the violence propagated by those who follow] This ideology. It is a betrayal of the families of these brave officers. How can the State even consider honoring a person investigated by the NIA (National Research Agency) for feeding violence?
The state government argued that the names were sent after a careful consideration of the contributions of the five people in the fields of art, culture, education, people’s movements and the protection of tribal culture. He said his roles in the movement for the condition of state could not be ignored. An angry prime minister said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the subject.
Since the creation of Telangana in 2014, a Bharat Ratna (the former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao), three Vibhushan Padma, Seven Padma Bhushan and 41 SHRI Padma Awards have been awarded to people from the state. But the Telangana government has claimed that there is discrimination against the State. While some states have managed to obtain more than 10 Padma awards, he argued that Telangana received only two this time: a vibhushan pad for the gastroenterologist Dr. Duvur Nageshwar Reddy and a Shri Padma for Manda Krishna, the founder-president of the Mothers Reserve Samiti Incanta.
While Gaddar, who died in 2023, was a Maoist sympathizer, is a popular figure in Telangana. Gaddar, a Dalit, was an engineering abandonment. He was attracted to the Maoist movement in the 1970s and spent more than a clandestine decade working as his cultural ambassador. Often known as ‘Praja Yuddha Nauka’.
In fact, Mr. Modi paid Gaddar brilliant tributes in his message of condolence to the poet’s family on August 21, 2023. Society. His creative works also provided people with encouragement. He was always passionate about the progress of Telangana. People will remember their contribution to the revitalization of a traditional art form. “
This is the reason why Mr. Bandi Sanjay’s comments have not only angered Congress, but also divided the BJP state unit and put them in one place. While some pictures of the party support their position, others point out that the prime minister has also recognized the activist’s contribution. They are also worried that by openly stating that the center decides who should obtain the awards, Mr. Bandi Sanjay has created the impression that favoritism has priority over merit.
There is also a clear political angle for decisions. According to the reports, the center considered that when recommending to certain people who were active during the movement of the status of state, the Revanth Reddy government was trying to court the Bharat Rashtra Samiti paintings. Gaddar’s daughter, Vennela, received a Congress ticket in the assembly elections. She lost the elections and is now the president of Telangana Samskruthika Saradhi, a cultural wing of the state government.
While the center can have a point, the comments of Mr. Bandi Sanjay have not only provided ammunition for the Telangana government, but also divided the BJP. More crucially, they seek to undermine the contributions of a man who fought relentlessly for the rights of the marginalized.
Ravi.reddy@thehindu.co.in
Published – February 3, 2025 01:47 am ist
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