Congress’ Revanth Reddy and BRS’s Patnam Prabhakar Reddy will compete in Kodangal in the upcoming elections. BRS working president KTR assured that voting for Prabhakar Reddy would bring about significant development in Kodangal, offering more opportunities. Additionally, he pledged increased guarantees for women.
While development is important, the primary issue currently plaguing Kodangal is alcoholism. Particularly in the village of Angadi Raichur, in 2019, a significant event unfolded. Under the leadership of Sarpanch Govind Goud and Sub-Inspector Sekhar Goud, the villagers gathered for a grama sabha. In the course of this meeting, a unanimous resolution was reached to prohibit alcohol in the village, accompanied by a firm stance against the establishment of belt shops. Families in this village are experiencing distress due to the consumption of alcohol, even by children.
When Kodangal, like the rest of the country, grappled with the effects of a Covid-induced lockdown, the situation took an unexpected turn. The lockdown failed to deter the avid drinkers of Kodangal, who managed to obtain their daily alcohol fix from the black market. This posed a dual hardship for the women, as the men, facing unemployment during those days, spent more on their alcohol indulgence.
The habit is deeply ingrained, with most men, both young and old, emanating the smell of inexpensive alcohol from early in the morning. By afternoon n Eranpally village, they become immersed in their own world, detached from reality. Women, burdened with the responsibility of providing for their families, struggle to find peace. To compound their troubles, they often endure domestic violence.
Married women, in particular, express dissatisfaction with the BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao in Telangana for allowing the proliferation of liquor shops in the Kodangal segment. KTR, Patnam Prabhakar Reddy, and Revanth Reddy focused solely on development, seemingly indifferent to the challenges faced by women. Revoking licenses for alcohol establishments could provide relief to women in this context, but resistance to such measures persists due to the anticipated tax benefits.
With election campaigns intensifying, candidates are likely to distribute larger quantities of alcohol, posing a significant issue. In Kodangal town alone, there are four liquor stores. Residents assert that the illicit sale of alcohol is widespread in rural areas, and the number of wine shops has risen throughout the constituency in recent years. Reports suggest that neither Revanth Reddy nor Patnam Prabhakar Reddy paid any attention to the needs and demands of women in Kodangal.
In a roadshow, KTR claimed that Patnam Prabhakar Reddy was present for the people of Kodangal during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some individuals dispute this assertion, contending that it is entirely false, stating that Prabhakar Reddy never actively participated in helping people during the Covid crisis. Similar allegations have been made against Revanth Reddy as well. With the BJP not in the spotlight in Kodangal, all attention is directed towards Prabhakar and Revanth.
