VIJAYAWADA: The BJP is planning to take out a ratha yatra in Andhra Pradesh to protest against the State government’s alleged negligence in preventing attacks on the temples, and at the same time, strengthen its base in the State.
Named Rama Ratha Yatra, it will be taken up from Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district to Kapilatheertham in Tirupati.
Most likely, the yatra will commence in the last week of January or first week of February. A final decision will be taken in the core committee meeting of the party to be held in Vizag on January 17, a senior BJP leader told TNIE. The meeting will also discuss the impact of the High Court verdict regarding panchayat elections, he added.
The BJP has been in the forefront in criticising the state government’s ‘inaction’ in the attacks on temples, which picked up momentum after burning the temple chariot at Antarvedi. Though the BJP had planned a protest rally in Ramatheertham against vandalisation of the Lord Rama idol, police foiled the attempt and arrested its leaders.
National-level leaders are also likely to participate in Rama Ratha Yatra, which is expected to cover 13 districts in the State.
According to sources, the objective of the Ratha yatra appears to be multi-fold as the party leadership has been focusing on Andhra politics since its victory in Dubakka by-election and good performance in the GHMC elections in Telangana.
Sources said the ratha yatra is expected to create the much-needed momentum to the BJP, which is betting everything on Tirupati by-election to get a foothold in Andhra politics.
Meanwhile, BJP state president Somu Veeraraju challenged both the YSRC and TDP for an open debate on development activities taken up in Tirupati by the BJP-led NDA government.
Addressing a party workers’ meeting in Tirupati, he said that the mark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is clearly evident in the development of the temple town and that only BJP has the right to seek votes from the people of Tirupati. "Today development works such as flyover, parks, LED bulbs, modernisation of railway station, railway over bridge and extension of airport were taken up under the Tirupati smart city project. As promised, world-class educational institutions like IIT, IISER, Indian culinary institute were established in Tirupati,” he said. Veerraju appealed to the party workers and people to teach a lesson to both the ruling YSRC and opposition TDP in the ensuing Tirupati by-election.