Politicians typically hold press meets in party offices or press clubs. However, in Andhra Pradesh, the YSRCP leaders are finding ingenious ways to engage their constituents.
In a first in the country, YSRCP Parliamentary party chief and MP Margani Bharat Ram turned the famous Markendaya temple in Rajahmundry as a venue for his political discourse.
First, he violated the Covid-19 norms by entering the temple with a large group of his supporters as if it was a political rally to show the party’s strength.
None of the YSRCP leaders, including Margani Bharat Ram, wore face masks or maintained the physical distance norm. That the Jagan government has not been acting against its own leaders for violating Covid norms is given.
To top it, Margani Bharat Ram after performing poojas in the temple held a press meet inside the sanctum sanctorum in utter irreverance to the temple devotees. The press meet was held even as the priests were doing poojas inside the temple.
As if this is not enough, Margani Bharat Ram and his supporters put up a flexi of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy near the ‘prasadam’ counter inside the Markandeya temple in his hometown.
With the party’s green kanduva wrapped around his neck and with folded hands, he began his political speech. His visit to the temple comes in the wake of the third anniversary of the Praja Sankalpa Pada Yatra of YSRCP president and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
After performing Palabhisekham, Margani Bharat Ram gave his political speech stating that the Chief Minister had set a world record with his Praja Sankalpa Yatra by walking 3,648 km in 17 months. The MP later said the Chief Minister had fulfilled 90 percent of the promises he had made in the 17 months of his governance. Further, he stated that Jagan was treating election manifesto as holy book. Probably, Margani Bharat Ram is in a poll mode and gearing up
for the upcoming elections to the local bodies.
Devotees are simmering with anger over the MP’s display of utter disregard to the temple sanctity.
In recent times, the YSRCP government came under sharp criticism for the growing attacks on temples. There have been at least five incidents of ransacking and vandalisation of idols in temples in the state, starting with the mysterious burning of a 62-year-old chariot near the famous Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district, an idol was vandalised at the Sai Baba temple in Krishna district, followed by a theft in Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durga temple, where “three silver lions of sacred Radha” went missing. In the most recent case, a porn video link was aired in SVBC channel which is supposed to telecast Bhakti programmes.