The battle between Arekkapudi Gandhi and Padi Kaushik Reddy has turned ugly in Hyderabad. What was meant to be a contest between two state legislators has increasingly taken on regional and caste overtones.
This has triggered a debate about the ongoing Kamma-Reddy feud in Andhra Pradesh, which has also spread to Telangana.
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The Kamma and Reddi are the two dominant castes in Andhra Pradesh politics. Traditionally, there has always been some divide between the communities. But looking back in history, there is no evidence of any such conflict between the two communities.
In fact, neither community has dominance in any single field, and therefore there is no question of conflict between them.
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In areas where they coexisted, there were always no problems.
Politics has sparked conflict between the two communities. In Telangana, the Congress has always presented itself as a Reddy party. Kamma, who was also part of the Congress and the Communist Party, co-existed with the Reddy community.
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Even after NT Rama Rao launched the Telugu Desam Party, Kamma remained affiliated to all political parties, including the Congress.
But then the old party tried to give the TDP a comma colour to create a narrative and it was successful.
Post-bifurcation, the situation worsened with Jagan aggressively playing the caste card using the I-PAC strategy.
The quarrel between Arekkapudi Gandhi and Padi Kaushik Reddy was originally an issue between the two state Congress leaders.
Kaushik Reddy took things ugly by calling Gandhi an ‘androdu’.
He said Gandhi was from Andhra and wanted to conduct political activities in Telangana.
In fact, Gandhi (2014) was with the TDP before switching to the BRS and had won the Serili Gampally seat twice (2018, 2023). He has now joined the Congress and has suddenly become an ‘androdu’.
Soon after, a section of BRS leaders and the party’s social media warriors also tried to propagate the same and even tried to incite the Kama community.
Perhaps the BRS is trying to whip up sentiments in Telangana, but this is a surprising development.
After bifurcation, the BRS steadily gained power in areas where Andhra settlers were in majority, including areas where the Kamma people were in majority.
Even in the recent elections in which the BRS was defeated, the Congress failed to open its account in GHMC areas, indicating that settlers and the Kama community have rallied behind the BRS.
However, the BRS believes that in the elections following Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest, TDP and Cama Party voters supported the Congress, spreading anger against Gandhi and communal anger in his name.
But with the upcoming GHMC elections looming, one might wonder if that is the right strategy.
Also, it is unlikely that the BRS will be able to reignite sentiments in Telangana again.
But such fomenting of hostility between the two communities will be dangerous for the social fabric of Telangana.
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