Why Was PM Modi’s Blue-Eyed Boy Bandi Sanjay Kumar Replaced As BJP Chief in Telangana? Experts Weigh In

Two days after former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana president Bandi Sanjay Kumar vehemently denied that he was being replaced, the party formally announced Union minister G Kishen Reddy as the new chief.

Kumar, who led the party with a staunch Hindutva ideology, had been praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in public for his Praja Sangrama Yatra. He completed the yatra in five phases last year.

He interacted with people throughout the heartland of Telangana and covered six Lok Sabha constituencies, 11 Vidhan Sabha constituencies, and 18 districts within a span of 116 days.

PROVOCATIVE STATEMENTS

Kumar also made headlines for his provocative statements. He had said he would demolish the new secretariat for its ‘Islamic architecture’. He was also trolled on social media for a previous take on the movie RRR. In 2020, he had threatened director Rajamouli with violence if scenes that showed revolutionary tribal hero — Komaram Bheem — wearing a skull cap were not deleted.

Things came to a head when his party members started objecting to his statements.

In March this year, Dharmapuri Arvind, BJP MP, made heads turn, when he said it would be better if Kumar withdrew his remarks on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha. The MP is reportedly part of the camp that was in favour of Reddy.

Kumar had asked whether the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would kiss the culprit (K Kavitha), instead of arresting her. After the uproar, Kumar’s office issued a statement saying: “The statement used by the BJP leader is a common phrase used in Telugu which means if someone does a crime, would you appreciate or punish them?”

The statement was publicly criticised by another BJP leader, Shekhar Rao Perala. “The president’s immature inappropriate words, affairs, dictatorship, and undemocratic antics are the reason for this situation in BJP,” he had written in a Facebook post.

The entry of high-profile leaders like Etela Rajender (from the BRS) and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy (from Congress), too, seemed to upset the equations in the party. Raghunandan Rao, Dubbaka MLA, openly criticised Kumar’s leadership recently.

CASTE ANGLE

Professor E Venkateshu, who teaches political science at Hyderabad Central University, says: “It is possible that the BJP selected someone from a dominant caste, as the other rivals, BRS and Congress, are led by dominant castes. Kumar belongs to Munnuru Kapu caste, which comes under OBC. Besides this, after its defeat in Karnataka, the BJP was looking for a new face to instill confidence among voters.”

However, it remains to be seen if voters from other castes warm up to the new president. Making Etela Rajender, who belongs to OBC, the chairman of election management committee, might be a balancing act. “Another reason to choose Reddy might be splitting the votes from the Reddy community which would have otherwise all gone to Congress president A Revanth Reddy,” said political analyst Kambalapally Krishna, who runs a consultancy called Voice of Telangana and Andhra.

BRS TO GAIN?

“There are whispers that Kumar was ousted from the post because of his strong fight against the BRS. It is understood that Kumar lost his position because he did not compromise on the issue of the BRS, even though he effectively took the Hindutva ideology which naturally comes to mind as the BJP,” said Kambalapally Krishna.

“When Reddy contested as an MP from Secunderabad Parliament, there was a discussion in the media that there was a secret agreement with the BRS,” he added.

“Reddy is not known as an aggressive leader. He is winning with the support of Delhi elders and adjustment with local leaders. It would also be naive to expect great service from Reddy as the Telangana party president. His appointment will only serve to make electoral strategies, so that the Congress does not get more seats and the BRS gets enough seats for majority,” Krishna said.