TUMAKURU: In a bizarre incident, the residents of the backward ‘kadugolla’ community forbade Chitradurga Lok Sabha member Anekal Narayanaswamy from entering their hamlet as he hailed from the ‘untouchable’ SC community, at Pemmanahalli Gollarahatti in Pavagada taluk on Monday evening. The former social welfare minister was by the villagers’ stand while the representatives of corporate companies, whom he had brought to the village to start welfare activities, were shocked to witness the same.
As soon as his car arrived, they stopped him and sought some benefits like drinking water and new houses. He replied that he had roped in companies to help residents. The residents let the representatives of the companies, including Biocon and Narayana Hridayalaya, in and stopped Narayanaswamy on the pretext that they had never allowed a member of Madiga community into their village in the past and do not want this rule to change.
“I have come here to reform you and if you stick to your age-old beliefs I may have to take action,” said the MP. Even though the taluk administration and police were on the spot, the villagers stubbornly refused to let the MP enter. Finally, Narayanaswamy boarded his car and left.
Since the people of the Kadugolla community reportedly voted for Narayanaswamy, he said that he would not take action against them by filing a case under atrocities on SC/ST act. Kadapalakere Naveen, a Kadugolla BJP leader, who had accompanied the MP regretted the incident and hoped that things will change over a period of time.