Opposition parties Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for performing a ritual seated on a chair while Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who belongs to the Scheduled Castes, was sitting on the floor, on on Monday, March 11. During the ritual at the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri, the Environment & Forests and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, a member of the Backward Classes (BC), was also seated on the floor.
Opposition parties alleged that CM Revanth Reddy discriminated against the Dalit and Bahujan leaders in his cabinet by making them sit below privileged caste Ministers.
On Monday, CM Revanth Reddy and his wife Geetha performed a special puja at the Yadadri temple in Bhongir district. The CM was accompanied by Deputy CM Bhatti, Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Konda Surekha, and other MLAs who participated in the Brahmotsavam festivities (11-day special ceremony). This was Revanth Reddy’s first visit to Yadadri after assuming office as the Chief Minister.
Images published from the ceremony showed CM Revanth, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and Uttam Reddy, all three of who belong to the dominant Reddy caste, seated at a height on chairs, while Dy CM Bhatti and cabinet minister Surekha were seated on the floor adjacent to other attendees.
The BRS accused CM Revanth of insulting Deputy CM Bhatti and Minister Surekha by making them sit on the floor.
Telangana BSP chief RS Praveen Kumar stated that the Dalit Deputy CM had been insulted. “An insult to the Deputy Chief Minister as god's witness. BSP’s struggle is for India without these insults,” Praveen said.