VIJAYAWADA: Political and financial support continues to pour in for Shaik Shaiksha Vali, a vendor from Andhra Pradesh who was allegedly harassed by a group of YouTubers during the recent Medaram Jatara in Telangana.Vali, a resident of Kurnool district, had travelled to the tribal fair in Mulugu district to sell ‘Kova bun’, a traditional sweet from his region. During the event, a group of youths allegedly forced him to eat the food he was selling to prove he was not engaging in what they termed “food jihad”.The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media and drew condemnation from political leaders and civil society groups.Andhra Pradesh education and IT minister Nara Lokesh expressed solidarity with the vendor, calling the episode “deeply disturbing”. In a post on X, Lokesh said such divisive and communal behaviour had no place in Telugu society, which he described as rooted in harmony, mutual respect and brotherhood. He also said he would meet Vali soon.

“Dear Brother Vali, I am deeply sorry that you had to endure this. Such divisive and communal behavior has no place in our Telugu society, which has always stood for harmony, mutual respect, and brotherhood. I will meet you soon and look forward to tasting your famous Khoya bun! We stand together,” Nara Lokesh posted on X.Support also came from other leaders in the ruling coalition. Minister Kondapalli Srinivas emphasised that every hardworking individual deserved dignity and respect while earning a livelihood. He said food safety and public awareness were important but must be handled with responsibility and sensitivity, adding that “humanity is greater than religion”.Andhra Pradesh agriculture minister K Atchannaidu condemned the incident, describing the harassment as inhuman and unacceptable. In a post on X, he said, “Hunger has no caste and self-respect has no religion,” adding that humiliating a poor vendor for social media views was deeply condemnable.Earlier, Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the incident and demanded strict legal action against those responsible.