The Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the Congress on Monday attacked Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party president Bandi Sanjay Kumar after a video purportedly showing him fetching the footwear of Union Home Minister Amit Shah when the latter came out of a temple went viral.
The two parties alleged Kumar has hurt the self-respect of the southern state.
TRS working president and state minister K T Rama Rao said Telangana is observing the "slaves to Delhi" who carry slippers and the leader who is questioning the "Delhi leaders".
The leader questioning the Delhi leaders is an obvious reference to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Meanwhile, AICC in-charge of party affairs in Telangana and Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore, referring to the video, alleged it shows the truth regarding the position of a backward class leader in Delhi.
"Telangana BJP state president Sanjay Bandi takes shoes of Amit shah. Telugu Vari Atma Gauravam (self-respect of Telugus).What's the position of Backward class leader in BJP see the truth ..," he tweeted, referring to the video. Kumar is a Lok Sabha member.
Taking strong exception to the comments of TRS and Congress leaders, Kumar said many devotees undertake service in places of worship like cleaning footwear and asked whether it amounts to "slavery".
Shah is a fatherly figure and a big issue has been made out of service to him, he said.
Kumar referred to incidents in the past when some officials allegedly either touched the feet of CM KCR or sat at the feet of the his family members. He asked whether it also amounted to 'slavery'.
