Jagan Mohan Reddy's governance over the past five years has deeply entrenched the divide between the Kamma and Non-Kamma communities, effectively sidelining the political prospects of the TDP.
In contrast, the TDP factions have fared poorly in their attempts to withstand the onslaught.
Kammas have further increased the perception that the TDP caters exclusively to their community's interests and advancement, thereby alienating non-Kammas.
The Kammas initially got trapped in the Amaravati Movement spearheaded by Chandrababu Naidu in opposition to the government of Jagan Mohan Reddy. Despite being framed as a farmers' movement by the TDP, it became apparent that only Kamma activists were vocal, delivering forceful and critical statements against the government, specifically targeting Jagan Mohan Reddy.
This trend was perpetuated by Kamma-dominated television channels such as ABN, ETV and TV5, which excessively highlighted the Kamma-centric narrative in their coverage.
Adding to the narrative, even senior figures like Renuka Chowdhary openly blamed that Jagan Mohan Reddy was targeting the Kammas.
Consequently, these developments led to the erosion of support for the Kammas from other communities, who began to perceive the issues raised as not affecting everyone, but solely the Kammas.
Several localized movements and protests have emerged, predominantly orchestrated by Kammas, following the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu.
The Kamma community groups directed IT employees of their community to wear black shirts and trousers to their workplaces on Fridays as a symbolic protest against CBN's detention. The extent of the success of this demonstration remains uncertain.
Recently, an invitation labeled "Atma Gourava Sabha" with the slogan "We Are With CBN" has drawn the ire of non-Kammas.
This event, scheduled for the 15th of this month at Sandhya Convention in Gachibowli, exclusively extends its invitation to "only Kammas," excluding other Telugu communities.
The invitation begins with the phrase "Kamma Sodara Sodarimanulaku Swagatam." Phrases like "mana jati gouravam kosam," "mana manugada kosam," "mana bhaavi taraala ujwala bhavishyat kosam," obviously elicit strong disapproval from other communities. Their insecurity that CBN's arrest or TDP's fall would affect their future is ludicrous.
These actions have led non-Kammas to regard Kammas with derision. The core question remains: why is there such an emotional outpouring solely based on CBN's Kamma identity?
Regardless, Jagan Mohan Reddy has been successful in highlighting the narrow-mindedness within the Kamma community.
Consequently, the upcoming election in AP seems poised to revolve around the sentiments of Kamma versus Non-Kamma factions.
One cannot blame any outsider for the present status of TDP, but it's the overaction and over-reaction of Kammas themselves!
I would describe the scenario as an instance of "overaction," wherein a vocal Kamma protestor from Kukatpally, in a media outburst, emphatically asserted that the Kammas belong to the ruling class, not the begging class.
He urged KCR and KTR to symbolically join him with candles at NTR ghat to protest the arrest of CBN, warning of decision by Kukatpally Kamma voters to ensure the downfall of BRS if they didn't comply. Additionally, he issued a stark warning that if the Congress were to reclaim power in Telangana State, both KCR and KTR should anticipate imprisonment in the same prison.
How can this scene be described other than with the term "overaction"!
Kiran Sharma
