HYDERABAD: Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday declared that the party was preparing to perform a ‘samprokshana’ of the state to cleanse it of the ‘sins’ committed by the TRS.
Sanjay’s declaration came soon after TRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao told a news conference that he was urging priests at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri to perform a ‘samprokshana’ – ritual cleansing – of the temple after Sanjay’s Friday visit to swear that the BJP had nothing to do with the alleged poaching of TRS MLAs.
Rama Rao had told reporters that the Yadadri temple was ‘sullied’ and ‘defiled’ after Sanjay, who had carried Union minister Amit Shah’s footwear, took the oath using the same hands.
“If people like that touch the deity, then it hurts the sentiments of the devotees and hence, the temple authorities and the priests should perform a ‘samprokshana’,” Rama Rao said.
He also said that if swearing under oaths could solve problems, there would be no need for police or the courts.
Sanjay responded at a press conference in Munugode by saying what was required was a ‘samprokshana’ of the state to rid it of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his family who had ‘cheated’ Telangana.
In a strong rebuttal, Sanjay said “Rama Rao is a non-believer and has no right to speak about God or temples. We are not like his father who touched the feet of other political leaders for political gains and had kicked out his own guru Prof. K. Jayashankar, and had insulted pKonda Laxman Bauji. Yes, I handed Amit Shah his chappals, he is my guru. For us, our gurus are equal to God and we wash their feet and sprinkle that water on ourselves.”
Warning Rama Rao to watch what he says, Sanjay said “if you say one thing, we can retaliate with one hundred. Yadadri is a powerful temple and no one who committed a wrong will ever enter it wearing wet clothes. I did, which means I spoke the truth. Why did the CM not come to take an oath?”
Sanjay also demanded that TRS explain why the four MLAs embroiled in the poachgate controversy were locked up in Pragathi Bhavan. “Why are they being hidden unless the TRS has engineered the episode? The TRS fears that if they are let out, then they will speak and the truth will be revealed. They will be kept hidden till voting in Munugode,” Sanjay said.
BJP general secretary and Telangana affairs in-charge Tarun Chugh said, “KCR believes that he can buy people. He should remember that Lanka under Ravan was built with gold, but it was Ravan’s pride that undid him. The same fate awaits the Telangana Chief Minister.”
Chugh said “TRS must realise that ‘envelope politics’ will not work anymore. In Munugode, Rajgopal Reddy is fighting for the people. On the other side is TRS candidate Prabhakar Reddy with whom top TRS leaders do not even want to be seen with, fearing the impact of the association on their own image.”
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Dr K. Laxman flayed TRS for spreading “lies” on the issue of GST on handlooms. In a statement, he said that the TRS government was part of the GST Council decision to impose the tax on handlooms, and could not distance itself from the decision.
The TRS criticism was aimed at confusing voters in Munugode. He said TS has chosen to levy GST on handlooms on turnovers exceeding Rs. 20 lakh while other states chose Rs. 40 lakh as the limit.
