Telangana Jagruti president and TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao’s daughter Kavita has literally run away from a TV debate on Friday, as she had no answers for the questions posed by Dalit intellectual Katti Padma Rao on her 48-hour fast, demanding setting up of the statue of Ambedkar in the Assembly premises.
Charging that the fast of Kavita to be part of the vote bank politics of her party, Padma Rao has questioned how she could fast for the statue of Ambedkar who fought all his life for a caste-less society while her father performs a ‘Yagna’ that supports Hindu caste system and sectarianism. He quoted Mantras chanted in the ‘Yagnas’ that were typically Brahminical and stoutly supported the caste system.
He has charged that as they belong to an upper caste and believed in the supremacy of the upper castes, the love they were showing towards Ambedkar was only for the votes of the Dalits (people of lower castes). Padma Rao has suggested that KCR should have performed Yaga at his residence, if he believed in the ritual and not at the Telangana Bhavan, his party’s headquarters. By performing the Yaga at the party office, he made TRS a party that believed in the caste segregation. He also questioned Kavita why they had not erected the statue of Ambedkar at their party office, if they revered the Dalit leader so much.
Kavita apparently had no knowledge why Yagas are performed and the meaning of mantras chanted. She had no answers for most questions raised by Padma Rao. She said simply because she belonged to an upper caste, she should not be faulted for fighting for Ambedkar’s statue or the rights of the down-trodden. She said she wanted the younger generation to know the greatness of the architect of Indian constitution and has chosen to fight for the statue. She said she would talk to her father on the need for erecting a statue in the TRS office.
TDP leader and former IPS officer Ravulapati Seeta Rama Rao and Congress Dalit leader Pushpaleela have also expressed the view that Kavita’s fast was just for the votes of Dalits.
Cornered by all, Kavita suddenly said ‘Namaste’ with folded hands to all the participants of the programme, pulled out the ear phones, shouted ‘Jai Telangana’ and disappeared from the screen. The TV anchor was aghast when she has so suddenly cut short the discussion, as it does not happen often. Pushpaleela has commented that Kavita had run away as she had no answers to offer.
–Courtesy:AH