Telangana Assembly Erupts Over Turmeric 'Purification' of Road to KCR Farmhouse

The Telangana Legislative Assembly witnessed intense protests on Wednesday over a video showing BRS workers performing a 'purification' ritual on a road leading to the farmhouse of BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Erravelli.

The video, which circulated widely on social media, shows BRS activist Pavani Goud and others spraying turmeric water and milk on the route. Those in the video claimed the action was meant to cleanse the road after Congress Dalit activists had made it 'impure' by their presence.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka strongly condemned the act, stating that such rituals were an attempt to drag Telangana society back to a medieval era. He asserted that a society that has progressed through centuries of social reform cannot tolerate such humiliation.

Throughout the day-long discussion, several ministers, including Adluri Laxman, Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Vivek Venkataswamy, and Vakiti Srihari, along with whips and MLAs, alleged that this mindset is inherent to the BRS party.

Following the Assembly proceedings, a Congress delegation led by the Deputy Chief Minister met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. They submitted a memorandum urging his intervention as the state's constitutional head to protect the dignity and self-respect of Dalits and women. The delegation drew parallels between the BRS's moral values and those of the German Nazi Party or the American Ku Klux Klan, warning of a regression to an era of untouchability.