Telangana deputy speaker reacts to stuffing cash into boy's mouth

Hyderabad: Making himself at the centre of controversy, Telangana deputy speaker Padma Rao stuffed a wad of cash into a boy's mouth as a gesture of appreciation for playing drums during the Bonalu celebrations at Secunderabad.

Terming it as an insensitive act, some of the activists said that the boy could have led to suffocation as none of them has come forward to remove the Rs 500 notes from the boy's mouth. However, Padma Rao said that is a common culture in Telangana where the money is stuffed into one's mouth appreciating their performance.

"It is not offence putting cash in one's mouth, the boy was just rewarded for his musical skills," said Padma Rao, a three-time MLA from Secunderabad.