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Caste Politics: It's Paritala Vs Vangaveeti

Caste Politics: It's Paritala Vs Vangaveeti

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly is in session and one major point of discussion that is taking up a major chunk of time are the allegations and counter allegations between the two major political parties, ruling TDP and opposition YSRCP.

Though the discussion began with YSRCP’s concern regarding the declining law and order situation in the newly carved state, now it has progressed into a full-blown showdown between the ruling party and the opposition party blaming each other for various political murders in the past 10 years. Once one party begins to rake up past issues, the discussion is bound to touch upon various involving past incidents.

One such incident that has come into spotlight after a decade is the sensational murder of Paritala Ravi. Not to be bogged down, the opposition party has started accusing the ruling party of their role in the murder case of Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao.

While Paritala Ravi belongs to one social community, Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao belongs to another social community.

So, now the allegations have reached a point where it has precipitated into a virtual political war between both the communities known for their age-old rivalry.

In fact, it is rather surprising to note that while TDP is trying to woo one social community, YSRCP is trying to impress the other social community.

It is a well-known fact that Paritala Ravi’s murder had political reasons, though it was the outcome of faction wars in Rayalaseema. Similarly, Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga’s murder was also directly attributed to politicians, though the main reason behind the murder was the rivalry between two rival gangs wanting control over cash-rich Vijayawada.

Now, while the ruling TDP is trying to corner YSRCP by bringing up the issue of Paritala Ravi’s murder, the YSRCP is now busy highlighting the reasons and people who led to the murder of Ranga.

During the 2014 general elections, one social community which has strong presence in East and West Godavari districts and Krishna, voted in favour of TDP. Due to their overwhelming support, the public vote tilted in favour of TDP instead of YSRCP which was touted as the favourite in all exit polls. Hence, YSRCP is trying to play up the card of Ranga’s murder and establish a strong support base within the community which tilted the result in TDP’s favour, say political analysts.

In fact, though no one wants caste-based politics, in reality, the current trend favours caste politics and the political parties are leaving no opportunity to make the most of the present situation.

Naturally, which incident works in favour of which party and indirectly which social community has become a common point of discussion among political circles.

Since TDP is raking up the issue of Paritala Ravi’s murder, some leaders in YSCRP believe that playing the Ranga card would help them build a base within that social community and ensure political gains in future.

In short, what started as discussions revolving around political murders have now transpired into caste-based outbursts between the two major parties in AP eyeing long-term political gains.

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