Vasanta sore over ‘raw deal’ to Kammas

Marthi Subrahmanyam
Vijayawada

Former home minister Vasanta Nageswara Rao has taken strong exception to the change in the name of NTR Health University to YSR Health University and regretted that there is no due response when injustice is being meted out to the people of the Kamma community.

Vasanta Nageswara Rao was the Home Minister in the combined AP state when N T Rama Rao was the chief minister and he was a popular political leader in those days and belongs to the Kamma community.

But he went into oblivion after Chandrababu Naidu had taken the reins of the Telugu Desam party. His son Vasanta Krishna Prasad joined the YSRCP and he was elected to the Assembly from Mylavaram defeating the then iIrrigation minister Devineni Umamaheshwara Rao in the 2019 election. Since then, Vasanta Nageswara Rao did not appear in politics or made any political statement.

But suddenly, on Sunday at the Kartika Vanasamaradana programme, Vasant Nageswara Rao strongly objected to changing the name to NTR University. He openly said that injustice is being meted out to the Kamma community in the state. He recalled that the names of Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy and YS Rajasekhara Reddy were left untouched but the NTR name was removed.

“When a raw deal is being meted out to the Kamma community, the leaders of the community have not responded appropriately. How long will the Kamma leaders be bearers of palanquins of other parties being led by other community people?” he asked.

The YSRCP responded to Vasanta Nageswara Rao’s comments stating that his son Vasanta Krishna Prasad was elected as all other caste voters including the BCs, OBCs and the SC voted for him as he was fielded as YSRCP candidate. However, the comments of Vasant Nageswara Rao had come as a support to the Kamma community people in the TDP.

Interestingly, the Kamma leaders in the ruling YSRCP admit that there is truth in Vasantha Nageswara Rao’s comments, and at the same time they questioned why he was silent all these days and objected to the removal of NTR’s name now. YSRCP leaders criticised Vasanta Nageswara Rao for his comments. They questioned whether he made such comments for not giving the minister’s post to his son Krishna Prasad.

The YSRCP leaders demand that MLA Vasanta Krishna Prasad condemn his father’s comments. “If he does not condemn his father’s comments it means he is supporting him,” the YSRCP leaders said.