Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Rajanala Srihari, who was in the news last year for distributing whiskey and chicken to his supporters, was seen giving away tomatoes to women on the occasion of party's working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao's 47th birthday. At a time when tomato prices are soaring high and denting the common man's kitchen budget, people were seen standing in a queue in Warangal to take tomatoes given by the BRS leader for free.
In a video widely circulated on Twitter, the tomatoes were kept in pink baskets - a colour that the BRS identifies itself with. Party leaders also erected banners and cutouts, in addition to putting up flexes on Rama Rao's birthday.
Sharing the video on Twitter, a user wrote, “Remember #BRS leader Rajanala Srihari, who distributed liquor and chicken to mark the party's entry into national politics? Today, he distributed tomatoes in #Warangal on the occasion of IT Minister #KTR's birthday.”
Srihari told PTI that he distributed a basket, each containing one-and-half kilograms of tomatoes, to about 250-300 women at Chowrasta Centre in the city.
Srihari distributed liquor bottles and chickens to 200 workers of his party last year on the occasion of Dussehra.
{{/usCountry}}Srihari distributed liquor bottles and chickens to 200 workers of his party last year on the occasion of Dussehra.
{{/usCountry}}Retweeting the BRS leaders' video which went viral at that time, Andhra Pradesh BJP State General Secretary Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said, “So now TRS leaders are distributing alcohol & chicken to make KCR Garu PM. Is it your idea?”
The BRS was formerly known as the TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi). The Election Commission approved the name change of the party last year. On the occasion, CM Chandrashekar Rao formally hoisted the party's pink colour flag and gave the slogan of 'Ab ki baar kisan sarkar' (farmers' government this time). The slogan is similar to the BJP's catchy ‘Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar’.