We have seen politicians playing the card of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Backward Classes or even a gender card to protect themselves from attacks by rivals.
One has heard a Dalit leader saying: “Just because I am an SC, they are targeting me. There is no protection for SCs in the society.” Similar claims are made by the ST or BC or minority leaders.
Even Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said the other day that just because she was a woman and that, too, from a backward community, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders are attacking her.
Well, that is understandable to some extent. But here is the leader who has played a Kamma card to defend himself.
He is Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader and state transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar, who was named in the dying declaration by BJP worker Sai Ganesh, as being responsible for the latter’s suicide in Khammam.
His political rivals naturally have demanding his resignation and that he be sacked from the government and the party for his alleged involvement.
Even the state high court issued notices to him seeking a counter from him on the Khammam suicide issue.
After keeping silent for a few days, Ajay suddenly sought to play the Kamma card to defend himself. Addressing a meeting in Khammam, he said some people were targeting him over a minor issue and conspiring against him because he was a Kamma.
“I am the only minister belonging to Kamma community in the two Telugu states. And some people are trying to remove me by making false allegations only because I am a Kamma,” he said.
Ajay alleged that there was a conspiracy to remove Kammas from the political power in both the states and reminded that even in Andhra Pradesh, the only Kamma minister Kodali Nani was sacked from the Jagan Mohan Reddy’s cabinet.
He, however, said he was able to survive despite being a Kamma, because of the support from chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who stood like a “Srirama Raksha” (strong protector) for Kammas.
He said there are five MLAs, one MP, one MLC, one parliamentary party leader, one Mayor, two municipal chairpersons and one minister belonged to Kamma caste in Telangana.
“After Nani’s removal from the Andhra Cabinet, the value of KCR is understood by all here,” he said.
He called upon the Kamma community to remain united and strive hard to strengthen their community in the Telugu states.
“Some pseudo Kammas have joined hands with dangerous politicians and sabotaging our cause,” he alleged.
