In Telangana, political promises focus on temples in election year

Temples are the buzzword in Telangana politics as parties make all-out efforts to reach all sections of society before the assembly elections to be held by the end of the year. One of the biggest projects announced by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao recently was the restoration of the Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy Temple, which is said to be the first of the greatest Hanuman shrines in India. The government will develop the 300-year-old temple according to the rules of Agama Shastra.

“Kondagattu Anjaneya Temple should be built in the greatest way, with all the comforts and all the facilities. Hanuman devotees from all over the country should make suitable construction plans. The development and expansion of the temple should be undertaken on about 750-800 acres,” the CM suggested. He said that there is no dearth of funds for the restoration of the temple and he is ready to allocate Rs 1,000 crore.

In the meantime, state Congress president Revanth Reddy announced that if voted to power, Congress would take up the proposal to build temples of Lord Ram in 100 assembly constituencies at a cost of Rs 100 crore each. He was speaking in the temple town of Bhadradri as part of the Haath Se Haath Jodo Yatra. He added that the temple at Bhadrachalam, dedicated to Lord Ram, has been neglected by KCR. “His promise to develop the temple town at a cost of Rs 100 crore remains unfulfilled,” alleged the Congress leader.

Political observers say that these promises are part of the political parties’ endeavour to garner Hindu votes. While the BJP has already established itself as a party that will establish “Ram Rajya” in Telangana with state unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s constant assurances, rival parties too want to show their concern for the majority voters.

Political analyst Kambalapally Krishna said, “With the BJP breathing down their necks to come to power in Telangana, targeting Hindu votes is beneficial for all. Playing on sentiments of religion and Gods is BJP’s mainstay. KCR has been giving strong counters to this. In 2018, he performed Chandi yagam himself. He has been performing these rituals regularly. Even during the inauguration of office buildings, it is made sure that all kinds of rituals are followed. KCR wants to convey that since he is taking care of all Hindu sentiments, there is no need for the BJP.”

Congress’s announcement might help it gain attention and perhaps draw a small portion of votes from Hindus, he said. “However, the Congress is not a party that has thrived on votes primarily from one religion alone,” Krishna added.

Another political commentator, Palwai Raghavendra Reddy, though feels that the Congress’s temple promise might backfire. “The Congress is once again falling into a trap by talking about building 100 Ram temples. Telangana has a unique culture where local deities form the core of it. By stating that the Congress when it comes into power will build 100 Ram temples, Revanth Reddy is exposing his immaturity and lack of understanding about Telangana. Though religion is a factor in this region, it is not the primary aspect on which politics can be done in Telangana. People here have experienced the development of the region, and want it more, rather than 100 Ram temples. By making such claims, the Congress chief is only falling into the trap which would benefit ruling BRS or BJP,” he said.

Besides the recent announcement of the development of Kondagattu Hanuman Temple, MAUD minister K Taraka Rama Rao had said that Vemulawada temple would be developed at par with Yadadri Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple (Yadagirigutta temple). The latter was a pet project of chief minister KCR in which a small hill temple at Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district was transformed into a major pilgrimage centre at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore.

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