Etala's Paada Puja Honours Dalit, Lambada Women
Rajendar said he was satisfied that the campaign seeks to instil a mindset of equality beyond caste and religion. “This foot worship is about respect and building trust for girls who have faced lifelong exclusion.”
Hyderabad: BJP MP Etala Rajendar took part in a distinctive ceremony under the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s Samajik Samarasata Abhiyan (Social Harmony Campaign) at Narayankhed, where he washed the feet of Dalit and Lambada women in a symbolic gesture of respect.
Speaking about the campaign, Rajendar said the ceremony aimed to honour women from communities long subjected to discrimination and exclusion. “Today, we performed foot worship for women from communities historically sidelined and marginalised,” he noted. “In many villages, Dalit people continue to live and dine separately, even decades after independence. This ongoing humiliation is regrettable,” he pointed out.
Rajendar said he was satisfied that the campaign seeks to instil a mindset of equality beyond caste and religion. “This foot worship is about respect and building trust for girls who have faced lifelong exclusion,” he said.
Citing entrenched discriminatory practices still present in Medak and Nizamabad, he referred to the “two-glass system,” where Dalits are forced to drink from separate glasses reserved only for their use. “Unfortunately, such practices persist in some rural areas even today,” he said. Calling for an end to these humiliations, Rajender hoped similar initiatives for social harmony would continue to grow in reach and impact.
He thanked activist Dhanunjaya for supporting the event. “I feel honoured to have performed the foot worship for Dalit and Lambada women today. It marks a step toward dignity, equality and social harmony,” the MP said.