Hyderabad: Varanasi’s strong Telugu community is in the focus of the BJP’s mega poll strategy to reach out to people hailing from all southern states for its goal of ‘Ab ki baar,…Aath lakh paar,’ victory by a margin of eight lakh votes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A 50-member poll management team with members across the country is camping in Varanasi for the purpose. Modi had won the 2014 poll by a 3.37-lakh margin and in 2019 by 4.8 lakh votes.
The multi-ethnic population from the south at over 250-odd ashrams and old-age homes is over one lakh people. As many of these are run by Telugus.
The party has already roped in its OBC Morcha president Dr K. Laxman, state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, general secretary Bandi Sanjay after the Lok Sabha polls concluded in the state on May 13. BJP vice-president D.K. Aruna, senior leader Etela Rajendar and others reached Varanasi on Monday and will campaign till the June 1 Polling Day.
“The popularity of Telugu people in the lanes and bylanes of Varanasi is such that the Banarasi kachori shops are mostly replaced by idli-dosa stalls. The Kedar, Narad and Hanuman ghats are areas were Telugus have for many centuries,” said Sreedutt Vidhula, who takes care of an ashram in Varanasi.
Dr Laxman told Deccan Chronicle that he was finding a great response from the residents of Varanasi as they are very happy with the building the of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project, which is attracting around one lakh devotees every day and helped improve their trade. “The improvement in law and order is also one of the satisfying factors for locals, he said.
Dr Laxman, who conducted campaigns in the nearby Mirzapur area on Monday, said that he has been conducting the campaign for the last seven days and would stay till the campaign ends for the final phase on May 30.
Dr Laxman also announced plans to construct a choultry with food facility for the benefit of pilgrims coming from Telugu states in Varanasi with MPLAD funds.
He said the Telugu-speaking people are closely attached with the Prime Minister, as he addressed them in Kashi Telugu Sangamam event recently on April 29. The Prime Minister had mentioned Vemulawada shrine which is called Dakshina Kasi and underlined the importance of black thread, which is tied on the hands of people in the temples of Telugu states and called as Kashi Daram.
