Reddy the Redeless

Reddy the Redeless Nireekshak IF it was Statesman which went to all the trouble of sending a correspondent to Kanchkacherla to inquire into the lynching of a Harijan youth, credit should go to Patriot for drawing attention to the alleged remark of Andhra Food Minister Thimma Reddy that "Harijans normally thieve all kinds of things in villages and such fellows cannot but be kicked''. Very rightly the Press and Parliament took serious notice of this outrageous statement. The daily press fully reported the uproar in Parliament and the demand that th-e offending Minister be sacked. Patriot kept the pot boiling by publishing, on page one, a three column picture of Andhra's Chief Minister Brahmananda Reddy saying that the whole thing was "malicious", though he never quite explained why anyone should bear malice against his Food Minister. The important aspect of this news story is that the Press and the peoples' representatives have shown welcome awareness of the plight of Harijans. This awareness may fizzle out in course of time, if the Press does not take adequate notice of the proceedings of the court which is trying the three men charged with setting fire to the clothes of the Harijan youth. Will PTI, which is so good at filing perennial reports of Ministerial speeches, consider it worthwhile to send its man to cover the Kanchkacherla trial?