Date:30/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/30/stories/2008063059290600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

No more idli in Telangana hotels?

Staff Reporter

TRS asks hoteliers to serve ragi sankati, jonna rottelu instead

Sangareddy: The Medak unit of Telangana Rashtra Samiti Medak launched a programme of counselling the shop owners to drop the word ‘Andhra’ from their hoardings. Former member of Legislative Council R. Satyanarayana and his followers on Sunday organised a rally here and urged the shopkeepers, particularly the hoteliers, to remove the word Andhra from the boards and add food items from Telangana region.

The TRS activists called the proprietor of the hotels for counselling and asked them to which part of the State they belonged to. Few told them they were from Andhra. The TRS asked them to continue with their business but only after removing the word ‘Andhra’ from the board. Similar strictures were passed on the hoteliers to remove all the food items identified with Andhra like Idly, sambar and introduce Ragi sankati and Jonna Rottelu instead. The former MLC warned the shop keepers to respect the sentiments of Telangana by encouraging its food and culture.

The TRS gave a day’s time to follow their diktat or face direct action. Some of the hotel owners agreed to remove ‘Andhra’ immediately while others sought time. One of the TRS activists who tried to paint the word ‘Andhra’ black on a name board was whisked away by the police.