The other day, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao made a sudden visit to Chinna Jeeyar Swamy ashram and came out with a decision to conduct a massive Maha Sudarshana Yagam at Yadadri shortly.
The chief minister’s office issued a statement saying the Yagam would be held in 100 acres with 1048 yagna kundams under the auspices of over 4,000 pundits.
It also said top central government leaders, all chief ministers and governors of various states in the country would be invited.
The sudden decision of KCR came as a surprise to many as there is no special occasion for him to perform the yagam.
He conducted Raja Syamala Yagam before the assembly elections seeking divine blessings for his party’s victory and after winning the elections, he once again conducted Maha Rudra Sahitha Chandi Yagam at his Erravelli farm house as a thanksgiving gesture.
But there are no elections now and KCR is having a smooth time in the government, which he can have it easy for another four and a half years.
So, what is the need for this yagam now?
A section of media suspects that the yagam is nothing but an image building exercise for KCR. He is only trying to divert the attention of the people from burning issues like unemployment and continued farmers’ suicides.
Another section says KCR is planning to pre-empt the Bharatiya Janata Party from raking up the Hindutva card in Telangana with this mega yagam and show that he is a harder Hindu than the BJP leaders.
But Andhra Jyothy managing director V Radhakrishna has a different argument.
According to him, KCR has come out with the Sudershana Yagam plan only to please Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, who was apparently angry with the TRS chief for ignoring him all these years.
KCR, who initially pampered Chinna Jeeyar Swamy during his first stint, has been ignoring him for quite some time.
Instead, he has been running around Swamy Swaroopanandendra Swamy for the last one year and conducted two major Yagnams under the latter’s auspices.
RK, in his column, pointed out that Jeeyar Swamy in his private conversations with some close business people, expressed anger at KCR for not caring for him after becoming the CM for a second time; and this would not augur well for the state.
Somehow, Jeeyar’s comments reached KCR and he had immediately rushed to the ashram to appease the Swamiji. And that led to the idea of conducting Maha Yagnam!