New Delhi: Kinnera artiste from Telangana, Darshanam Mogulaiah, who received the prestigious Padma Shri in March this year, has threatened to return the award as a mark of protest against BJP’s alleged move to drag him into politics. According to Mogulaiah, the BJP has been miffed over his support to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Achampet TRS legislator Guvvala Balaraju, as per a report by The News Minute.
“I will return the award if that is what they (BJP) want. They have unnecessarily dragged me into a controversy, and it has taken a toll on my health,” the report quoted the Kinnera artiste as saying.
According to The News Minute report, a BJP leader met Mogulaiah on Wednesday and enquired if the TRS government had given him Rs 1 crore and a house site in Hyderabad, as promised by CM KCR in January.
“I informed the BJP leader that I was yet to receive the grant, and that TRS legislator Balaraju was working on it. But he asked how the CM could make such a delay and told me that he would fight on my behalf. I asked him not to be so aggressive and not to speak against KCR. Yet, he went ahead and made critical comments against the Chief Minister,” The News Minute quoted Mogulaiah as saying.
After the BJP leader spoke on his behalf, the Kinnera artiste now feels that the TRS government might think he betrayed their trust and might deprive him of Rs 1 crore and the house site.
“I come from an extremely poor family. Why have they made this an issue and caused me problems,” Mogulaiah said.
As Mogulaiah spoke against the saffron party publicly, some leaders slammed him saying that it was the Union government that gave him the award.
Reacting to this, Mogulaiah said that while he was grateful to the Centre for giving him the Padma Shri, it would not have been possible if CM KCR had not identified his talent.
He further added that he was ready to return the Padma Shri if the BJP wanted him to.
Similar to the Saraswati veena, the Kinnera is a 500-year-old instrument made with organic materials such as bamboo and has several variations coming with seven, nine, 12 or 13 frets.
According to researchers, other than the last surviving Kinnera artistes in Mahabubnagar and Vikarabad districts of Telangana, there are possibly a few more in Karnataka, Adilabad district of Telangana and Gond tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh.