HYDERABAD: A first-time lawmaker in Andhra Pradesh has earned fulsome praise from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his "brave" act of sleeping in a crematorium.
Nimmala Rama Naidu, a lawmaker of the state's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from Palakole, apparently took the dare to convince scared construction workers that there are no ghosts or spirits.
He had dinner at the crematorium in Palakole before spending the night there.
What bothered the legislator on the first night were not ghosts but mosquitoes, and stench from garbage dumped nearby. The area near the cremation ground had been turned into a dump yard.
So for his next sleepover, he came armed with a mosquito net.
Images showed the politician sleeping on a bed with a pink sheet, covering himself with a white blanket.
The plan was to do this for two to three days to prove to people that no ghost had attacked him.
Mr Naidu took the step when workers refused to enter the complex for renovation of the crematorium, simply because they were afraid of ghosts. Someone apparently saw a half-burnt body there and there was instant panic and stories about ghosts circulated.
The legislator says the crematorium had been neglected for several years. The government had sanctioned Rs. 3 crore eight months ago for refurbishments.
"No contractor came forward to take up the work even though we called for tenders. Two months ago, we found one contractor but the workers were still scared,'' he explained.
The Andhra lawmaker's ghostbuster act caught the attention of the Kerala Chief Minister, who put out a series of tweets appreciating Rama Naidu.
Rama Naidu is a crusader against superstition. He has decided spend more nights at this crematorium in Palakole of West Godavari district to instill confidence among workers who are afraid of ghosts
Rama Naidu's efforts are therefore not a local affair. It should attract national attention because his is a fight against frivolous rituals and rampant superstition.