Kavitha, Arvind supporters fight over flexi boards in Nizamabad

 HYDERABAD: A street fight has erupted in the high-voltage Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency between BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind and BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha with supporters of both leaders flexing their muscles over flexi boards in the constituency over the contentious issue of turmeric board.

BRS leaders set up flexi boards mocking Arvind after Union minister of state
for commerce and industry Anupriya Patel's response to BRS MPs in Parliament
that there was no plan to establish a turmeric board in Telangana.

Reacting to this, the BRS leaders erected flexi boards in Nizamabad and
Dichpally smeared in yellow representing turmeric, with the caption "Our
Hon'ble MP brought this Turmeric Board," accusing the BJP MP of failing to
keep his pledge. It may be noted that, in a signed bond paper, Arvind
promised to set up the turmeric board during the 2019 general elections.

Arvind, on the other hand, simply stated that the BRS MPs had failed to ask
a proper question on the issue of the turmeric board, and that they could
not even comprehend Anupriya Patel's response.

In her reply, the Union minister had said that 52 spices, including
turmeric, will be overseen by the Spices Board, an autonomous body, and that
there was no plan to establish a turmeric board or any other spice-specific
board in the country. The Spices Board headquarters in Nizamabad has been
upgraded, and Rs 30 crore has been sanctioned so far, Anupirya Patel informed
Parliament.

To counter the BRS leaders' flexi boards ridiculing Arvind, flexi boards
mocking the BRS's unfulfilled election promises emerged in the town ahead of
Kavitha's visit to Jagtial on Saturday. The flexi posters featured photos of
Kavitha with her father, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, and her
brother, minister K.T.Rama Rao, in front of the Nizam Deccan Sugars Factory.

The flexi boards were erected to highlight Kavitha's promise to the
government to take over the factory after BRS came to power in 2014, but it
was not done. The historic factory was shut down, affecting thousands of
workers and their families.

The CM and his daughter Kavitha were pictured in another flexi seated in
front of a two-bedroom home to draw attention to the government's failure to
carry out its free housing scheme. The flexi war between BRS and BJP leaders
comes on the heels of a verbal spat between Kavitha and Arvind, who have
been at odds for some time. In the past, Kavitha had threatened to slap
Arvind with a chappal for his allegedly derogatory comments. The BRS workers
also vandalised Arvind's house in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, V.Mohan Reddy, a BJP leader and former zilla parishad floor
leader, stated on Saturday that Arvind had initiated the upgrade of the
Spice Board office in Nizamabad and sanctioned Rs 30 crore for turmeric
farmers.

"BRS leaders should realise that they are masters of deceiving the people
with false promises such as unemployment benefits, 2BHK houses, and so on,"
he said. He claimed that the people of Nizamabad had already defeated
Kavitha in the last elections due to her inefficiency, while also claiming
that the BRS leaders were fighting for their survival and existence in the
Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency limits.