Can KCR’s Initiatives Spread Cheer for Telangana’s Toddy Tappers? A Look at the Community Ahead of Polls

Toddy tappers in Telangana are a numerically strong community and the government is reaching out to them ahead of the assembly elections.

In a recent announcement, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao introduced insurance cover for toddy tappers. Under the ‘Geetha Karmikula Bhima’ scheme, Rs 5 lakh will be deposited in the bank account of the kin of a tapper if he dies while collecting toddy. The government also inaugurated a Neera (unfermented sap from palm trees) Cafe on Necklace Road this month to support the toddy tapper community (Gouds). The cafe is part of the Neera Policy unveiled in 2019 which said such retail outlets will create employment opportunities within the community.

The Gouds have been an influential community in the state’s political landscape. From the Telangana Armed Rebellion to taking part in the agitation for a separate state, the community has been a visible force in discourses and it is no wonder that the BRS is wooing them.

Explaining how the community has made their presence felt in the state, E Venkateshu, a political science professor from Hyderabad Central University, says: “Gouds, who come under Backward Classes, are an influential community because they were active in communist parties, TDP, the separate statehood movement, and now the BRS. One of the strategies of BRS is to mobilise support from social groups by providing incentives to their traditional occupation. Toddy tappers can be a deciding factor in winning elections and to stop them from crossing over to the BJP or the Congress, the BRS is providing these incentives.”

The government has introduced similar incentives for other groups like the Dalits and the sheep rearing community.

The professor explains that the tappers hold a sway over social and political discourses in villages due to people coming together to drink toddy.

“Toddy tappers are present wherever there are palm and date trees. Whenever they tap neera or toddy, the whole village gathers there and that becomes an ‘adda’ for political discussion. In this way, some of the toddy sellers happened to gain clout over political discourses. Even family disputes are settled in these gatherings. After a funeral, all attendees go to have a drink of toddy as it is believed it stops the spread of germs,” he said.

Throwing light on their influence in political history, he added: “While the Telangana Armed Rebellion was going on, the communists were cutting down date and palm trees to deprive the Nizams of revenue. Though the toddy tappers were also part of the rebellion, they revolted against the communists in this case. They had even cut the limbs of a few communist leaders for cutting down trees. It is after that the communist party came up with the slogan: ‘Land for the tiller, and tree for the tapper.” From that time, toddy tappers were one of the most active groups in the armed rebellion.”

Though one Neera Cafe has been inaugurated, it is to be seen if the chain continues to exist or becomes a victim of the packaged beverage or liquor lobby.