By SNV Sudhir
Hyderabad: More than three years ago, a sleepy village in the northern coastal Andhra Pradesh became the stage for a ‘secular’ politician making a dramatic ideological turnaround. Just a few days before it, on a cold December morning of 2020, some miscreants had ‘beheaded’ the idol at an ancient temple in the village — Ramatheertham — in Vizianagaram district.
Visiting the village with a large entourage, the then-opposition leader, N Chandrababu Naidu, declared that he was there to safeguard the interests of the Hindus.
Having lost power in the 2019 assembly polls, Naidu used the incident to target his nemesis and then Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy over his Christian identity.
Many were surprised, as the corporate-friendly leader had never shied away from wearing a ‘secular’ badge.
Since then, Naidu has often pointed fingers at Jagan’s faith. The TDP supremo even alleged that religious conversions were rampant during the YSRCP rule.
The political landscape of Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing a significant shift towards the right in recent years, especially after the YSRCP came to power in 2019.
Unlike many other states where the BJP has the upper hand in weaving Hindutva narratives, Andhra has seen two regional parties—TDP and Jana Sena—adopt a more assertive Hindutva stance.
This story was originally published in deccanherald.com. Read the full story here.
