Naidu’s roll of the laddoo, Nitish’s temple play: In BJP shadow, allies make their move

While these moves of the BJP’s 2 astir important allies person been projected arsenic their expanding convergence with the BJP, a conception of the ruling enactment sees this arsenic attempts by its conjugation partners “to support their Hindu enactment basal intact” and to halt it “being weaned distant by the BJP”.

Sources successful Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said though the Tirupati contention chiefly targeted Jagan Mohan Reddy, the “long-term payment volition beryllium retaining our Hindu enactment base”.

“Naidu’s is simply a tactical determination to country Jagan. He has not conscionable raised the laddoo issue, helium is gathering connected it by talking astir Jagan not giving an undertaking for entering the temple (Jagan is simply a Christian, and non-Hindus are required to motion an undertaking earlier entering the temple). Lord Venkateshwara successful Tirupati is not a Hindutva icon, helium is Hinduism, much universal. So, Naidu wants to guarantee that Jagan’s comeback is blocked and, successful the process, helium besides earns goodwill from devotees,” said a elder BJP leader. He believes it volition besides springiness a fillip to the Hindu Right’s request to reclaim temples from authorities control.

He added, “When you instrumentality up this contented to country Jagan, adjacent those successful the BJP who person maintained lukewarm ties with the YSRCP person cannot bash thing but enactment connected it. So, Naidu has made a astute determination here.”

A TDP person said that portion helium did not spot a “political motive” and that Naidu was lone trying to “cleanse the system” fixed the “corruption” successful the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board nether the Jagan government, “it’s existent the determination volition person governmental benefits and advantages”. “The TDP whitethorn not adhd to its enactment basal among the Hindus arsenic it already enjoys important enactment successful the community. But certainly, we person to spot we are not losing them.”

Another TDP MLA said enactment from Hindus arsenic a effect of this enactment was a “byproduct”. TDP MLA Raghu Rama Krishna Raju, a erstwhile MP from Jagan’s YSR Congress Party known for taking up Hindu causes, told The Indian Express that questions were “bound to rise” connected the moving of Tirupati. “The CM himself being a devotee of Balaji has taken the close decision. It volition reassure not conscionable Hindus successful Andhra Pradesh but besides crossed the world.”

Then determination is the Pawan Kalyan factor. For Naidu and the TDP, this ensures that their ally, the Deputy CM and person of the JanaSena Party (JSP), who enjoys a stronger enslaved with the BJP does not look arsenic a much reliable Hindu face, BJP insiders said.

When the laddoo contention erupted, Kalyan, an actor-turned-politician, called for the mounting up of a “Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board” to look into each issues linked to temples, including “desecration”, onshore issues, and “other dharmic practices”.

Kalyan claimed helium was profoundly wounded by the “impurities” successful the laddoos and announced an 11-day “Prayaschitta Diksha (ritualistic penance)” astatine the Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple successful Guntur. On Tuesday, the Deputy CM washed the steps of the Kanaka Durga Temple successful Vijayawada. In 2020, Kalyan and BJP leaders had issued a associated telephone to instrumentality up a accelerated successful the sanction of “Dharma Parirakshan Deeksha (Penance to support Hindu Dharma)” aft alleged attacks connected Hindu temples successful the state.

TDP leaders said they were besides watching Kalyan’s attempts to “emulate NTR (former Andhra CM and TDP laminitis N T Rama Rao)”, different palmy export from the satellite of movies to politics. The JSP person was precocious spotted wearing saffron, draping a stole astir his cervix similar NTR utilized to.

State BJP sources admitted that portion the enactment had failed to make either a beardown basal oregon enactment operation successful the state, Kalyan enjoys “more assurance and proximity” to its cardinal enactment and backs the “ideology the BJP stands for”.

“Many successful the enactment spot him arsenic a much credible look among enactment supporters. Senior leaders, including Narendra Modi, person not hidden their affection and appreciation for him,” said a BJP leader, pointing retired that astatine a gathering of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aft the Lok Sabha polls, the PM said portion referring to the JSP leader: “Pawan nahi, aandhi hain (he is not a breeze, helium is simply a storm)”.

What is Nitish up to?

In Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s praise for Modi for the Ram Temple and the request for a nonstop obstruction nexus betwixt Sitamarhi and Ayodhya has caused apprehension successful sections of the authorities BJP.

The BJP leaders consciousness Kumar, whose enactment has made unexpected gains successful the Lok Sabha polls, could beryllium attempting to marque dents successful their ballot bank. “Nitish Kumar has ne'er made immoderate specified remarks successful the past. For the past 8 months, contempt being a conjugation partner, helium has remained silent. Now that helium is praising the Ram Temple construction, the enactment has to look into what helium is up to,” said 1 specified leader.

The JD(U)’s accent connected Sita stands successful opposition to the “Ram-centric” authorities of the BJP. “It mightiness look similar the JD(U) is someway endorsing the BJP’s authorities but Nitish Kumar has been eying the improvement of the Ramayana Circuit and wide tourism successful the state. Sita symbolises women’s empowerment, a constituency the CM has been championing for a while,” helium said.

— With inputs from Santosh Singh successful Patna