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Published Nov 10, 2024 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2024 | 12:00 PM
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
It was a road not taken, which perhaps ended with even the River Musi wonder if it or political rhetoric was more polluted.
When Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy part-walked, part-sailed an inflatable raft in the Musi River to its pollution in the Nalgonda district on Friday, 8 November, he seemed to have set a precedent — though no one seems to know the difference would make.
Typically, ahead of a chief minister’s visit officials deck the place up. They know that any complacency would invite the boss’s wrath.
The initial days of Swachh Bharat saw officials painstakingly dumping trash on roads for the VIPs to sweep them clean. They always want to help their bosses to do their work and spare them of any embarrassment. It is some kind of a Pavlovian reflex action.
On Friday, Revanth Reddy trudged along the Musi River, taking in the stench. The officials were relieved as they had nothing to do since Musi always stinks. All they had to do was to accompany the chief minister as he walked from Sangem village for 2.5 km after offering prayers to the presiding deity of Lord Siva.
He walked close to the bund even as the multitude that followed him had an unsuccessful tough time keeping the stench away. The chief minister then took a rubber boat, an adventure in itself.
No one sails the Musi which looks more like Styx than any normal river. But Revanth Reddy did, and as he sailed, he collected a bottle of water, as though it was Gangajal.
He later addressed a public meeting where he called K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) names, which has become second nature to him. The BRS leaders responded, questioning Revanth’s eligibility even to utter KCR’s name when the chief minister is not equal even to his left toenail.
As both Congress and BRS leaders remained locked in an ugly verbal spat — now a daily routine — the day ended. And the Musi flowed, quiet and dirty.
(Edited by Majnu Babu.)
