What was meant to be a celebration of Telangana’s farmers turned into a dusty, dishevelled spectacle, caused by a landing mix-up.
Published Apr 21, 2025 | 11:36 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 24, 2025 | 10:17 PM
As the chopper came in to land, strong winds and dust churned up by the rotors swept through the venue. (X)
Synopsis: A helicopter carrying senior Congress ministers triggered chaos at the Nizamabad edition of the Telangana Rythu Mahotsavam after a landing mixup. The chopper’s arrival kicked up a cloud of dust, causing tents to collapse and leaving several people injured.
Telangana’s VIP squad — Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Thummala Nageswara Rao, Jupally Krishna Rao, and state Congress President B Mahesh Kumar Goud — decided to swoop into Nizamabad on Monday, 21 April, for a grand Rythu Mahotsavam.
The mission was to shower farmers with love, spotlight the state’s welfare schemes. However, their helicopter and its pilot appeared to have had other plans — turning everything topsy-turvy and showering them with dust instead.
The Telangana government’s crème de la crème piled into a chopper, ready to grace the event with their presence. The venue was decked out: Quixotic tents showcasing welfare schemes, a fancy arch welcoming the VVIPs, and a dais primed for their grand speeches (or bashans, as we like to call them).
Farmers, officials, and fans gathered, buzzing with excitement.
However, as the chopper descended, it unleashed a dust storm so wild, it could have put those that rise in the Sahara Desert to shame. The rotors churned up a gritty tornado, which made the tents sway as if they were possessed.
The dais collapsed into a sad pile, and the whole scene turned into a dusty disaster movie set. Visibility soon became nearly zero as the hurricane-like winds triggered chaos.
The crowd — farmers, officials, and all — scampered to safety clutching handkerchiefs, dupattas, or whatever they could grab to shield their faces from the sandy assault. The brave police guarding the VIPs took a beating, with bumps and bruises, while one poor farmer reportedly fainted in the frenzy. Talk about the celebration of farmers.
Now, here’s the juicy bit from the grapevine: The chopper wasn’t even supposed to land at the venue’s helipad! Word on the street is the pilot mistook it for the landing spot at the collector’s office.
To make matters worse, the venue’s helipad wasn’t prepped — no water sprinkled to keep the dust down, because, well, no one expected a chopper to crash the party there. The result? A dust cloud rose so thick, it could’ve doubled up as a fog machine, sending plumes of smoke to kill mosquitoes.
In the end, the celebration of Telangana’s farmers turned into a comical catastrophe — a fracas of epic proportions. The ministers survived, the dust settled (eventually), and the farmers probably went home with a story they’ll tell for years. Moral of the story? Next time, double-check the GPS, sprinkle some water at any helipad nearby, whether or not it is the one where a chopper has to land.
After the dust settled and the fear receded, all of them got back together, and the netas went on bragging about their achievements and, as is their wont, taking potshots now and then at the previous BRS regime.
