TDP MLA claims he survived only on milk for 20 years

Telugu Desam Party MLA from Bhimavaram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh has said he drank only milk till he was 20 and started eating solid food after he was compelled by his relatives.

A Telugu Desam Party MLA from Bhimavaram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh has said he drank only milk till he was 20 and started eating solid food after he was compelled by his relatives.

Pulaparthi Ramanjaneyulu alias Anji Babu said he had never eaten rice, roti or curries before the age of 20. (File Photo)

In a recent interview to a web-based news channel I-dreams, Pulaparthi Ramanjaneyulu alias Anji Babu said he had never eaten rice, roti or curries before the age of 20.

“Believe it or not, I did not have solid meal until the age of 20 years. I used to consume only milk all those years. I never felt like eating any other food,” the 52-year-old legislator said.

When the anchor wondered whether it never occurred to him that he should eat solid food, Ramanjaneyulu replied in the negative. “It was only when I was to get married at the age of 20, I was compelled to develop the habit of eating rice. My relatives feared that I may not get a good alliance if I don’t eat proper meals,” he said.

Ramanjaneyulu told Hindustan Times that his parents never forced him to eat solid meals. “I was taking a good quantity of milk. So they never bothered about me eating rice or roti. I never relished it,” he said.

Asked whether he ever felt sick because of the lack of solid food, which is essential for the growth of human body, the MLA said he was absolutely alright as milk contains all the nutrients. He said he did like rice when he had it for the first time but developed the habit of eating solid food only for the sake of others.

Nutritionists say a human being cannot survive only on milk and requires wholesome food with all the nutrients, vitamins, and carbohydrates that milk does not provide.

Retired nutritionist Dr V Ramdas Murthy, who was associated with National Institute of Nutrition, said it can be extremely difficult for a person to survive only on milk for 20 years.

“Especially during the teenage, a person requires all kinds of nutrients for growth. It is really surprising how the person managed with just milk,” he told HT.

Enquiries revealed that Ramanjaneyulu has been a diabetic patient for a long time.

“In June 2014, he collapsed in the legislative assembly hall and was rushed to the hospital in Hyderabad. He underwent a bypass surgery. Maybe his food habits were responsible for his sickness then,” Swamy Ayyappa, a local journalist at Bhimavaram, said.