Seethakka in the hot seat

Mulugu: Seethakka, born as Danasari Anasuya in the Koya community in Jaggannapet village of Mulugu district on July 9, 1971, has led a varied but a purposeful life - from a rifle-toting Naxal to neta. It was a super Sunday in the life of arguably the most popular Adivasi leader in the backwoods of Dandakaranya surrounding Godavari Valley when she returned to her tribal hinterland as a minister for the first time. Although she lived a better part of her life in this part of the globe, it was a homecoming with a difference.

As a teenager, she joined the Janashakti Naxal group in 1987 to eradicate societal disparities. She may have changed her path in the last 36 years but her penchant for eradicating societal disparities remains unaffected. It may be noted that she returned to the mainstream of life in 1997. After seeing her penchant for serving, the then chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu fielded her from Mulugu constituency in 2004. Although Seethakka lost that election, she returned strongly to win in 2009 and again in 2018 (as a Congress candidate).

She along with A Revanth Reddy joined the Congress in 2017 and went on to become the general secretary of All India Mahila Congress. Even though she was not in the ruling party, Seethakka’s services to the Adivasis are well remembered, especially during the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak.

The people in Mulugu constituency, predominantly Adivasi, returned their favour by electing Seethakka with a huge majority in the recent polls to the Assembly, despite her opponents using every trick in the book to defeat her.

Now, Seethakka finds herself in the hot seat as the people in the constituency have high hopes on her. Despite the region’s proximity to Devadula lift and Sammakka barrage at Tupakulagudem, the local farmers didn’t have any irrigation facilities. Both the projects have been serving the irrigation needs of upper region, ignoring the local farmers.

Now, the farmers pinned their hopes on Seethakka who heads the Panchayat Raj ministry in the Revanth Reddy’s Cabinet. The other long-pending demands of the locals include granting of podu rights, establishment of a bus depot in Mulugu or Eturnagaram, healthcare facilities, construction of karakatta (retaining wall) at many villages abutting River Godavari, and permanent facilities at Medaram.