Andhra CM Jagan rushes straight to temples to carry out Bhoomi Pujan after backlash over series of temple attacks

YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh has now gone into damage control mode after a spate of horrifying temple vandalism in the state, with idols too getting desecrated. Temperatures in Andhra Pradesh have been rising against the YSRCP government, which is being increasingly seen as a front working only for the benefit of minorities – particularly Christians in the state.

Now, to calm the tempers of Hindus in the state, and also to not let opposition parties mount an aggressive campaign against him, Jagan Mohan Reddy is conducting Bhoomi Pujans at temples and also inaugurating development works for various Hindu places of worship.

According to a report by Sakshi Post, on Friday, the Andhra chief minister was slated to perform Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for the reconstruction of nine temples that were demolished by the previous government in Vijayawada. He was also scheduled to lay the foundation stones for eight other development works worth Rs 77 crore in Durga temples.

Further, going all out in his attempt to reconcile with the Hindus, Reddy will be unveiling two plaques at 11.01 am tomorrow at the construction site of the Saneeswara Swamy Temple as well, followed by a visit to the Durga Temple at Indrakeeladri.

According to the report, temples to be reconstructed in Vijayawada are Rahu Kethu Temple, Sri Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Sri Seethamma Vari Paadaalu, Dakshinamukha Anjaneya swamy Temple, Saneeswara Swamy Temple, Sri Daasaanjaneya Swamy Vaari Temple, Boddu Bomma, Sri Veera Babu Swamy Temple and Gosala Krishna Temple.

Andhra Pradesh, many allege, has seen close to 140 no. of temple attacks since Jagan took over as Chief Minister. Most recently, on Sunday, the idol of Goddess Sita was found vandalised near Pandit Nehru bus stop in the Sitaram Temple in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. This came in the backdrop of the idols of Lord Subrahmanya and Shri Ram being desecrated and damaged in the state recently.

The Shri Ram idol vandalised at Ramatheertham temple by Hindu-haters was 400-years-old. In the past few weeks, a Nandi idol was destroyed, an old heritage chariot parked at ancient Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Temple was found burnt, and Subrahmanya Swamy’s idol in Lord Vigneshwara temple of Rajahmundry district was destroyed.

Read more: One temple was razed in Pakistan but 140 of them have been vandalised in Andhra and countless deities have been defaced

Infested with Christian missionaries who enjoy the direct patronage of the chief minister, it would not take a genius guess to figure out who is behind such attacks, and why action against such elements is not immediately taken.

However, with tempers rising fast among Hindus, Jagan Mohan Reddy is now projecting himself as a chief minister who works overtime for the benefit of the state’s majority community, which is why he packed a two-day schedule with events making him appear as the protector of Hindu interests in the state. The people, however, can see right through such optics.