There is a strong feeling that attacks on temples are on rise in Andhra Pradesh after YSRCP came to power. There is no dispute about it. More alarming is the apathy of the government in dealing with them. This lackadaisical attitude on the part of rulers is causing more concern among people.
But when such incidents happen, it is natural for political parties to take advantage of them. It is no wonder that BJP, which declared itself to be the No 2 political force in the state, has been firing all cylinders to make most of these incident and consolidate rightwing vote bank as well as general public. The party feels it has patent on using Hindutva for its political ends. Hence, no one is surprised at its aggressive posture on incidents of temple attacks.
Why Chandrababu is going overboard?
Why is TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu reacting so fervently on these incidents? Agreed, it is his duty as the Leader of Opposition to react to such incidents, but at times he is reacting more strongly than the BJP. For instance, he demanded Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to sign declaration during his visit to Tirumala. This is not the first time Jagan is visiting the shrine. He visited Tirumala when Chandrababu Naidu was Chief Minister. Why didn’t he demand Jagan to sign the declaration then? Why is he now making it a serious issue? Has he smelt political gains?
What is he expecting?
The question is what he is expecting in return for adopting Hindutva agenda so aggressively. One intention may be to incite aversion towards Jagan among Hindus. More than that, he may be trying to become close to BJP. All his recent gestures give credence to the opinion that he is yearning for friendship with the saffron party. Now Naidu’s aggressive Hindutva gestures strengthen that view.
Will it yield results?
On the other hand, BJP in Andhra Pradesh is targeting TDP more than the ruling party. Especially, Somu Veerraju after taking over as state party chief has been attacking TDP and Naidu without uttering a word against Jagan Mohan Reddy. Instead of appreciating Naidu’s support on incidents of attacks on temples, they are recalling incidents of such incidents during Naidu’s rule.
Analysts are wondering how Naidu’s goal of achieving closer ties with national BJP leadership can be possible at a time when state party is bent on destroying TDP. There is little possibility of BJP softening its stance towards its former ally despite Naidu’s open attempts to reach out to the party by enthusiastically supporting their Hindutva agenda.
Has Naidu landed in YSRCP trap?
When seen from a different angle, the entire episode looks like a trap set by both BJP and YSRCP to decimate TDP. Chandrababu Naidu walked into that trap with his single point agenda of denting Jagan’s image.
In recent times, he is acting as a hardcore Hindu leader. His press meets and speeches are filled with Hindutva rhetoric. If YSRCP can succeed in branding Naidu as a Hindutva leader, it can increase its influence among neutrals and liberal Hindus. It is said that the ruling party has laid this trap for Naidu to erode his support base among political neutrals and secular and liberal Hindus.
What will he lose?
Chandrababu Naidu has taken a huge risk by embracing Hindutva agenda in his desperate fight against Jagan. He might have thought of at least alienating a section of Hindus from Jagan as he can’t penetrate Dalit and Christian segments of population.
But analysts see a different strategy by YSRCP. By making him talk repeatedly like a Hindutva politician, it plans to alienate him from Muslims who are still supporting him. If Muslims are weaned away from TDP, they automatically turn to YSRCP, which already has the overwhelming support of Dalits and Christians, since they can’t support Hindutva BJP or its ally Janasena.
These equations are certain to further strengthen YSRCP. It can create a solid vote bank in some sections. On the other hand, right wing and hard core Hindus will choose BJP as their first preference. There will not be any benefit to Naidu in terms of Hindu votes. So, it will be the YSRCP that reaps the benefits of such polarization.
How could Chandrababu, who is described as ‘another Chanakya’, fell into YSRCP trap so easily? Has he not been able to see through their conspiracy? We don’t know. However, some people claim that even if there is such a trap, Naidu might already have chalked out strategies to counter it.
