Hyderabad: Barely four months into office, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP is at the helm of a coalition government with BJP and Jana Sena, is seen as renewing his Hindutva-laced pitch from 2020-21.
The aim, political analysts ThePrint spoke to, say, is to corner bête noire Jagan Mohan Reddy and portray the YSRCP chief, a practising Christian, as ‘anti-Hindu’.
Observers add that, while at it, Naidu is also trying to keep ally BJP’s electoral ambitions in check by co-opting its Hindutva plank. With his claim about use of ‘animal fat’ in preparation of the Tirupati laddu during Jagan’s tenure as chief minister, Naidu is trying to consolidate the majority vote bank—a feat BJP is nowhere close to achieving in Andhra Pradesh, given the emphasis on caste in the state’s politics, they add.
BJP’s best electoral performance in the present AP expanse was when it won three Lok Sabha seats in 1999. It was an ally of TDP led by then-incumbent CM Naidu, but could not inch further in terms of seat share.
Twenty-five years later, in the Lok Sabha polls this year, BJP managed to repeat its 1999 performance. This time too, it was in a pre-poll alliance with Naidu-led TDP which had to deal with Narendra Modi instead of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Days after accusing the previous YSRCP government of allowing ghee adulterated with animal fats to be used for the preparation of the Tirupati laddu, Naidu’s party doubled down on its bid to project Jagan as ‘anti-Hindu’ by demanding that he officially declare his faith in the deity Venkateswara before entering the inner sanctum of the Tirumala shrine.
YSRCP has called for pujas to be held at temples across the state on 28 September to “atone for the sin committed by Naidu with his false Tirupati laddu contaminated claims”. On the same day, former chief minister Jagan planned to visit the Tirupati Tirumala temple. The visit now stands cancelled.
Speaking to the media Friday at Tadepalli, Jagan said the state government has imposed restrictions on his movement and that the declaration issue was brought up again to divert attention from Naidu’s “false allegations”.
“In a secular country, they are objecting to my Tirupati temple visit citing my religion; humanity is my religion, write it on the form,” Jagan said, adding that Tirupati temple and laddu prasadam are being politicised by the ruling side.
“If this the situation faced by an ex-CM, what about Dalits at temples?” he remarked.
The development came after Naidu’s post on X stating that “everyone who goes to Srivari sanctum must follow the temple rules, Agama Shastra rituals and TTD norms.”
కలియుగ వైకుంఠమైన తిరుమల శ్రీవారి ఆలయం కోట్ల మంది హిందువుల అతిపెద్ద పుణ్యక్షేత్రం. ఈ దివ్యక్షేత్రం మన రాష్ట్రంలో ఉండడం మన అందరి అదృష్టం. ఏడుకొండలవాడి పవిత్రతను కాపాడేందుకు, భక్తుల మనోభావాలను పరిరక్షించేందుకు మా ప్రభుత్వం ఎప్పుడూ అత్యంత ప్రాధాన్యం ఇస్తుంది. తిరుమల దర్శనానికి వెళ్లే…
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) September 27, 2024
Meanwhile, notice boards which came up at the temple queue complex Friday morning stating the requirement for non-Hindus to declare their faith in Venkateswara to enter the inner sanctum, YSRCP alleged, were removed soon after Jagan’ cancelled his visit.
Naidu convened a press conference later in the day. “Why should you hide (your religious affiliation),” he said in response to Jagan stating that he recites the Bible within the four walls of his home and outside, he is “a Hindu, Muslim and Sikh,” visiting temples and respecting all religions. “Nobody has an objection to you reading the Bible. But you cannot hurt (other) religious sentiments by refusing to sign the declaration,” Naidu said.
Also Read: How Chandrababu is cracking whip on central services ‘babus’ brought to AP on deputation by Jagan
‘Naidu inspired by Yogi’s 80:20 equation’
While demanding that Naidu prove his allegations, YSRCP has said it has no faith in the SIT formed by the TDP-led government to probe the matter and has demanded a CBI investigation instead.
Reduced to a mere 11 assembly seats, down from 151 in 2019, YSRCP still managed to secure 40 percent of the total votes polled in the state—a fact that is sure to have unsettled Naidu.
While YSRCP has knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court and Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking a fair investigation or judicial probe into Naidu’s ‘animal fat in Tirupati laddu’ allegations, political analysts ThePrint spoke to say the TDP chief seems to be taking a leaf out of BJP’s book.
D.A.R. Subramanyam, chairman of Guntur-based Navyandhra Intellectual Forum, says Naidu “is becoming the spearhead of Hindutva politics in the state not known for communal faultlines” and where BJP has been struggling to get a toehold, with its brand of politics. “Naidu seems to be inspired by UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s 80:20 electoral equation,” adds the educationist, who was earlier associated with both the Congress and BJP.
“Keeping aside the veracity of his accusations, Naidu is apparently trying to exploit the highly sensitive religious matter to help consolidate his vote base among the majority. Let us see how far he can sustain this campaign against Jagan and how much he succeeds,” he tells ThePrint.
Subramanyam also points out that state BJP leaders, including unit chief D. Purandeswari, former chief Somu Veerraju, minister Satya Kumar Yadav and state BJP vice president Vishnu Vardhan Reddy have not taken to the streets over the issue, while Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, chief of TDP ally Jana Sena, are going at it hammer and tongs.
That said, workers of the BJP youth wing did lay siege to Jagan’s residence at Tadepalli on 22 September, smearing saffron paint on its walls and gates.
But BJYM’s demonstration was upstaged by TDP and Jana Sena.
Jana Sena chief Kalyan has repeatedly accused YSRCP of “grievously hurting Hindu sentiments”. He is on an 11-day ‘penance’ (‘Prayaschitta Deeksha’) initiated at Sri Dashavatara Venkateswara Swamy temple in Guntur. The ‘penance’ will culminate in the Telugu actor-turned-politician climbing up the footsteps to Tirumala. As part of the ‘atonement’, he took part in a ‘Aalaya Suddhi’ (temple cleaning) ritual at Kanaka Durga temple Tuesday.
“With unabated attacks on Jagan, Naidu and party appear to be snatching the BJP’s plank. Pawan would also be at advantage keeping the BJP dependent on him,” says Subramanyam. “If AP becomes fertile for communal politics or the campaign backfires on Naidu-Pawan is a moot question, but with its inherent weaknesses, lacking appeal or organisation, the saffron party (BJP) has no means to profit from the ongoing issue.”
Naidu’s projection of Jagan as ‘anti-Hindu’
Speaking to reporters Sunday at his Undavalli residence, Naidu insinuated that Jagan, when he was CM, refused to declare faith in the deity Venkateswara before entering the inner sanctum of Tirupati shrine.
“Even Sonia Gandhi, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam gave such a declaration. Is Jagan mightier than them?” Naidu reportedly asked. “Y.V. Subba Reddy’s wife carries a Bible with her. Bhumana held his daughter’s wedding with Christian customs. He was made the TTD chief. How can people be deceived like this,” he remarked.
Subba Reddy, Jagan’s uncle and a practising Hindu, chaired Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust that manages the Tirupati temple, for two consecutive terms (2019-2023). He was succeeded by YSRCP leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy. Naidu accused both of damaging the reputation of the TTD and the shrine with alleged acts of corruption and contempt. He even claimed that land belonging to the shrine was sold off when the two were at the helm of the trust.
Naidu also made references to reported instances of desecration of Hindu temples across the state during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government, more so in the first two years.
One such incident was reported in September 2020 when miscreants allegedly set fire to a century-old wooden chariot of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in East Godavari district. In February that year, another chariot, that of the Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy temple in Nellore district, was gutted in a fire with devotees reportedly suspecting foul play.
And in December 2020, an idol of the Hindu deity Ram was found desecrated at the Bodikonda Ramatheertham temple in Vizianagaram district. Naidu, then the Leader of the Opposition, cited the incident to train his guns at Jagan, raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram” and even reportedly saying that the YSRCP chief was a “Christian CM”.
This was a shift from the onslaught of verbal attacks Naidu had unleashed against Jagan citing the stalled Amaravati capital city project. This was also around the time Naidu was hoping to reconcile ties with the BJP.
In 2018-19, after exiting the NDA over the demand for special category status and realisation that the tie-up was alienating Muslim voters, the TDP supremo was regretting his 2014 alliance with Modi’s BJP.
The majority of Muslim and Christian voters in Andhra Pradesh, pollsters stated, had voted for YSRCP in the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly polls held simultaneously.
The repeated incidents involving temples across the state, seen with other controversies such as ads for pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the annual Hajj finding their way to the back of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus tickets to Tirupati, added more weight to Naidu’s projection of Jagan as ‘anti-Hindu’.
“While Naidu’s anguish as a Venkateswara devotee is understandable, him projecting Jagan and Co. as the culprit, hinting at his (Jagan’s) Christian faith, in the laddu matter could be to ensure one thing, to totally alienate Jagan from the BJP top leadership and snap any future possibilities of a tie-up,” one state BJP leader told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
Naidu, Jagan & the Muslim-Christian vote
According to political experts ThePrint spoke to, Naidu’s overt support for Hindu sentiments depicts the TDP’s electoral calculations.
Muslims, under 10 percent of the state’s population, and Christians—officially around two percent but including many converts especially from SC, ST and OBC communities, are reportedly over an estimated 10 percent—are seen as an inalienable part of YSRCP’s vote base, which it wrested from the Congress following the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh.
In the case of Muslims, they are largely concentrated in the urban areas of Rayalaseema, a YSRCP stronghold, and in a handful of assembly segments elsewhere including Nellore and Guntur.
“While Christian votes again went to Jagan, a good number of Muslims voted TDP this time, despite its BJP-NDA grouping, because of the larger anti-incumbency factor against the YSRCP government. They will most probably go back to Jagan by the next election,” says M.V. Mysura Reddy, who served as home minister of united Andhra Pradesh and has been with the Congress, TDP and YSRCP during his long political innings.
This uncertainty over Muslim votes is perhaps why TDP is treading cautiously on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
“Naidu and TDP leaders are carrying the Hindutva agenda on their heads now, sans the communal polarisation angle. BJP too is making noises but it will gain nothing from this controversy, given its organisation, which is still weak. The saffron party will cling on to Pawan Kalyan, the gaudiest voice on the laddu matter, in hope of a bipartite alliance or better, a merger in the future,” says Subramanyam.
The state BJP leader quoted earlier says, “There are no short or long-term gains for us in this. Andhra Pradesh BJP is full of fair-weather leaders, lacking conviction to strengthen the party by exploiting such issues. It desperately needs one like Annamalai in Tamil Nadu.”
Adding, “The Jana Sangh was building on Brahmin-Baniya support, but with TDP formation in the 80s’, its later form BJP never had a chance in the Kamma-Reddy etc. caste dominated politics that ruled the roost in AP.”
While YSRCP leaders including Jagan have accused Naidu of stirring up the ‘animal fat in Tirupati laddu’ controversy to reap political benefits, TDP leaders continue to stand their ground on the issue.
“What does Jagan want? We shut our mouths in the name of secularism? It is dismaying that Jagan is attributing political motives to our leader Naidu’s anguish over the laddu matter emanating from his deep devotion for the Lord,” says TDP leader Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy.
He adds, “We are not against your religion Christianity, we preach what we believe unlike you (Jagan) who visit temples with no conviction, only for electoral benefit.” Anam also says that the TDP won’t let Jagan “set foot” in the Tirupati shrine unless he signs a declaration, which is the norm.
On Thursday, state BJP leaders including Bhanuprakash Reddy met TTD executive officer J. Shyamala Rao and submitted a memorandum stating that Jagan be asked to furnish the declaration when he visits the shrine.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)