Hyderabad: A group of Lambadas were detained in front of Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday, June 25, urging that the Congress government give a ministerial berth to a member of their community, a long-standing demand.
The Lambadas raised slogans against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, pressing the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan to stall the bus yatra they have been holding in various assembly constituencies.
The Lambadas also demanded that the state government implement its manifesto assurances made for the community.
Congress Dornakal MLA Jatoth Ram Chander Naik, who represents the Lambadas, holds the position of Deputy Speaker in the Telangana Assembly.
One of the prominent posts given to the Lambadas includes Bellaiah Naik Tejavath, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Scheduled Tribes Cooperative Finance Development Corporation (TRICOR) after Congress came to power.
Bellaiah Naik, who is a prominent figure in the Lambada community, had emerged as their leader raising issues through the Lambada Hakkula Porata Samithi (LHPS). He is also the vice-chairman of Adivasi Congress of the AICC.
He currently oversees tribal welfare schemes through TRICOR, making his position pivotal to the welfare of Adivasis, Banjaras (Lambadas), and other tribal communities.
The Lambada protest raises eyebrows as it has been traditionally supported by the Congress from former prime minister and late Indira Gandhi, who included them in the list of Scheduled Tribes, after she won from Medak Lok Sabha constituency in 1980.
She had defeated tall leaders like S Jaipal Reddy, who represented the Janata Party (JNP), and Janata Party (Secular) represented by Kesava Rao Jadav.
Indira Gandhi was so impressed by the traditional clothes and dance of the Lambada women that she got the community included in the STs list.
However, post Telangana formation, Lambadas have become a major swing vote, by switching their loyalties to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is now Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and a section of Lambadas is also aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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