‘Caste’ Aspersions: KCR Unveils Brahmin Sadan, BJP Calls It Political Gimmick

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has been reaching out to various castes and social groups as part of its election strategy. Pic/News18

Viprahitha Brahmin Sadan was constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore on a sprawling 9-acre campus. The Telangana government has envisioned it as a centre for conducting spiritual, religious, and Vedic activities

The inauguration of Viprahitha Brahmin Sadan at Gopanpally in Telangana by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao has received harsh criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. During the inauguration on Wednesday, the CM said that Telangana is the only state in the country to devote a building to the Brahmin community.

Speaking to News18, BJP state spokesperson NV Subhash said that KCR remembers caste, religion, and self-esteem building only during elections. He asked the CM why there was a need to bring Brahmins from neighbouring states and not from Telangana for the puja programmes related to the inauguration.

During the event, the chief minister said: “Many Brahmins are poor. The government felt it is its responsibility to support them. Telangana Brahmin Welfare Parishad was constituted in 2017. We allocated Rs 100 crore funds to Brahman Parishad every year. Various welfare schemes are being implemented with these funds. So far, 780 students have been supported through Vivekananda Scholarship to study abroad.”

However, the BJP called these measures a political gimmick. “KCR believes in ‘divide and rule’. He used the name of our former PM PV Narasimha Rao for his selfish gains. Except during the ‘PV Narasimha Rao centenary celebrations’, the former PM was not given any importance by the CM. He is going to extend the same treatment to Brahmins too,” said Subhash.

The BJP leader demanded that KCR should declare the number of promises he has made to the Brahmins so far. He warned that if the chief minister is really sincere about solving the problems of Brahmins, he should solve them immediately, or else the Brahmin community will surely teach him a lesson in the coming polls.

Viprahitha Brahmin Sadan was constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore on a sprawling 9-acre campus. The government has envisioned it as a centre for conducting spiritual, religious, and Vedic activities. This facility provides accommodation for seers, priests, and religious leaders who visit the state. The Kalyana Mandapam serves as a platform for free marriages of poor Brahmins. More such buildings are coming up in Khammam, Madhira, and Bachupally areas.

Some of the measures announced for the welfare of Brahmins on Wednesday are:

• Increasing monthly stipend given to Vedic scholars by the Brahmin Parishad from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000.

• Eligible age for receiving this allowance is reduced from 75 years to 65 years.

• Presently the Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam scheme is applicable to 3,645 temples in the state. It will be extended to another 2,796 temples across the state.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has been reaching out to various castes and social groups as part of its election strategy. Earlier, it had introduced the Dalit Bandhu scheme and named the new secretariat after Dr BR Ambedkar.