The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, which always looks for opportunities to keep the state governments under its control, seems to have found the Ramatirtham temple vandalism issue as an excellent opportunity to rein in the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
While the Central intelligence has already plunged into action to probe into a series of incidents of attacks on temples in the state in the last few months, Union home minister Amit Shah reportedly called up state BJP president Somu Veerraju and enquired into the incidents, particularly Ramatirtham incident.
Apparently, Shah took serious note of the arrest of Veerraju and house arrest of several other BJP leaders, while they were on a march to Ramatirtham to protest the desecration of Lord Ram idol last week.
He is learnt to have directed the state BJP leaders not to take the issue lightly but build up a mass movement.
“May be, Ramatirtham issue can be an excellent opportunity for the BJP to grow in the state. Shah doesn’t want to let it go as it will help the Centre keep a tab on the state,” a political analyst said.
The state BJP leaders, who had hitherto been adopting a soft approach towards the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government, have now started talking aggressively.
BJP vice president Vishnuvardhan Reddy went to the extent of cursing that the Jagan government’s days are numbered in the state.
Veerraju also alleged that a series of attacks on temples in the state was part of the Jagan government’s agenda to promote Christianity.
“It has hurt the sentiments of Hindus,” he said.