Wed Oct 16 07:40:00 UTC 2024: ## NTR Plaque Removal Sparks Outrage in Kurnool: MLA Accuses Dairy Management of Political Bias
**Kurnool, October 15:** The removal of a plaque commemorating the late N.T. Rama Rao, the founder of the Telugu Desam Party and key figure in the establishment of the Vijaya Dairy, has sparked outrage and accusations of political bias against the dairy management.
Allaggadda MLA, Bhuma Akhila Priya, expressed strong disapproval over the removal of the plaque, stating that it was a blatant disregard for the legacy of NTR, who played a crucial role in the dairy’s inception. She visited the dairy on Tuesday, retrieved the plaque, washed it with milk, and accused the current management of “acting like they’re still under the control of Jagan Mohan Reddy.”
“Why was the plaque removed in the first place?” she asked, highlighting the current management’s decision to replace it with a picture of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. “When this issue went viral on social media, they announced plans to erect a statue of NTR,” she said, questioning their sudden change of heart.
She further accused the dairy chairman, S.V. Jaganmohan Reddy, of silencing her questioning by saying, “Why are you sitting in your chair if you want to talk about this?”
The dairy chairman, however, defended the removal of the plaque, explaining that it was part of a larger renovation project to reopen a section of the dairy. “It was never our intention to disrespect NTR,” he emphasized. “We invited district ministers NMD Farooq and BC Janardhan Reddy, along with other leaders for the plant’s reopening ceremony, proving our neutrality.”
The incident has fuelled political tension in Kurnool, with accusations of the dairy management acting in a partisan manner. The removal of the NTR plaque and its replacement with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s picture has further inflamed tensions between the ruling YSRCP and the opposition TDP.
First Piper 