Jagan’s Sudden Love Towards Hindu Temples!

In a strategic move to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from leveraging temple-related initiatives for political gains, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy hurriedly laid the foundation stones for various developmental projects, including the reconstruction of temples. The BJP had planned to organize protests and dharnas across the state starting from the 20th of this month to highlight their efforts in temple restoration.

Jagan Mohan Reddy, not willing to give the BJP an opportunity to own the Hindu vote bank, took swift action. In an unexpected move, he arrived in Vijayawada at dawn on Thursday. During this visit, he laid the foundation stone for the Kanaka Durga temple development projects, amounting to 216 crore rupees.

The allocated funds include Rs. 5.60 crores for the reconstruction of the temple, Rs. 4.25 crores for hill protection works on Indrakiladri, and Rs. 3.25 crores for setting up LED panel boards, energy water management, and SCADA. Additionally, Rs. 3.87 crores have been allocated for the reconstruction of temples demolished during Pushkaras in 2016. Other allocations include Rs. 30 crores for the construction of Ammavari Anna Prasada Bhavana, Rs. 27 crores for the construction of an elevated queue complex from Kanakadurga Nagar to Mahamandap.

This move by the Chief Minister caught locals by surprise, as there was no prior information about the foundation stone-laying ceremony. The timing of these initiatives, amid BJP’s calls for protests, suggests Jagan Mohan Reddy’s strategic move to gain support of hindu votes.