Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is known to be a proponent of “secular politics”, with the high point of his four-decade career being the moniker “CEO CM” he earned for developing the HITEC City in Hyderabad in the undivided Andhra state. Barely had Naidu’s current tenure started, however, that it has been hit by a row involving the Tirupati temple laddoo. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo has alleged that the laddoo being offered at the Tirupati temple was prepared with “adulterated” ghee under the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government’s regime. The fact that YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is a Christian has added another layer to the debate, with the TDP questioning why he would not sign an undertaking “declaring his faith” to Lord Venkateswara before he visited the temple - forcing Jagan to finally call off the visit. While some observers claim there is “nothing” political about Naidu's move, others believe the CM’s allegations are part of a well-calculated move to keep the BJP in check – though the adverse observations of the Supreme Court may now be a setback. “We were with the NDA even in the past (during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as PM as well as for a major part in the first Narendra Modi government). There is no pressure on us to follow the politics of the BJP,” a TDP leader pointed out to The Indian Express. However, other TDP insiders say Naidu wants to prevent the BJP and its affiliates like the Bajrang Dal from gaining traction in the state. "The BJP even at its best cannot outdo Naidu when it comes to raising sentiments around the Tirupati temple. No other party or outfit has been able to capitalise on the laddoo controversy other than the TDP," a TDP observer said. But since the TDP’s decision to ally with the BJP, the party has been wary that some of its voters could sway towards the BJP. “The BJP can try to expand its footprint in the state. By raising the laddoo issue, the possibility has reduced as Hindu voters now look up to the TDP favourably,” a party leader said. Party observers believe Hindu votes are yet to consolidate in favour of the BJP in Andhra. “Even during the most communal times, Andhra has remained neutral. No party in the state has made an enemy out of any community, including the Muslims,” a TDP observer, Ramesh Kandula, said. Muslims comprise 8% of the state’s population while Christians make up around 9%. The apex court on Monday, while hearing a batch of pleas seeking a probe into Naidu’s allegations, questioned why there was a need to make a public statement when a probe had already been ordered into the matter. "At least, we expect the Gods to be kept away from politics,” the Bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan observed. Then there is the Pawan Kalyan factor. The JanaSena Party (JSP) chief and Deputy CM is seen to be close to the top BJP leadership as well as the architect of the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance in the state. His decision to take up a 10-day penance to “cleanse the contamination” of the previous YSRCP government and firmly back Naidu in the laddoo row has seen the actor-turned-politician emerge as a staunch Hindu leader, who speaks in favour of Sanatan Dharma. “By firmly standing by Naidu’s side, the JSP chief has made the BJP a redundant force in the state. Look at the limelight both the TDP and JSP have got after the controversy over the laddoo broke out. Naidu and Kalyan have issued more statements on the issue than BJP leaders,” a TDP observer said. Even as Naidu has allied with the BJP for a majority of his tenures in power, the laddoo row is not the first time that his party has pipped the BJP in the state. It is an open secret in political circles that senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu and the Andhra CM had a tacit understanding – more caste-based than communal – under which it was agreed that the BJP will play second fiddle to the TDP in the state. “However, with the rise of Modi, the BJP national leadership expressed unhappiness over this arrangement and has been on the lookout for a new voice in the state. Chandrababu is looking to stifle this voice while keeping the BJP at an arm’s distance in the state even as he looks to be in the BJP’s good books at the Centre,” an observer said. Another observer said that Chandrababu has to be a “good ally” in the NDA to get things done for the state, including his pet project of developing Amaravati as the capital. “At the same time, he is careful not to cede space to the BJP, which is known to take over its regional allies in the long run,” he said.
