AP Jithender Reddy, National Executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former Member of Parliament, on Thursday, June 29, made a not-so-subtle statement using a video, to poke fun at the state leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana. This has stirred up a debate on whether the BJP state president Bandi Sanjay would be replaced ahead of the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections in Telangana.
Jithender Reddy had tweeted a video clip of a man standing behind and kicking a bull between its hind legs forcing the animal to jump up into a stationary wagon. The tweet was shared with the caption, “This treatment is what is required for BJP Telangana leadership”. Jithender Reddy also tagged BJP’s National General Secretary BL Santosh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other official Twitter handles of the BJP in the tweet.
Jithender, who shifted to BJP from erstwhile Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), clarified later that the tweet wasn’t about Bandi Sanjay and was a reference to his critics, but the damage was done. The acerbic tweet, sharply critical of the state leadership, is being viewed in the backdrop of BJP leaders Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and Eatala Rajender meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss issues related with Sanjay’s leadership. According to some reports, BJP General Secretary incharge of Telangana Sunil Bansal had told Bandi Sanjay on several occasions that he is likely to be replaced by Eatala ahead of the elections.
This treatment is what's required for Bjp Telangana leadership.@blsanthosh @BJP4India @AmitShah @sunilbansalbjp @BJP4Telangana pic.twitter.com/MMeUx7fb4Q
— AP Jithender Reddy (@apjithender) June 29, 2023
Responding to Reddy’s tweet, BJP chief spokesperson in Telangana, Krishna Sagar Rao issued a statement in which he “strongly condemned the random, unwarranted and damaging media leaks and public statements being made by some leaders in our party. They seem to be forgetting the party they are currently representing. BJP is not Congress or BRS.”
Speaking to TNM Krishna Reddy said, “Change is a constant process in BJP. There will be a new committee which will be constituted by Prime Minister Narender Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and other top leaders of the party. We don’t know if there will be a change in leadership as it isn’t for us but for the senior leaders to say. The comment made by Jithender Reddy is absurd.”
The BJP high command had summoned state president Bandi Sanjay on June 26 to New Delhi to iron out the differences and hold deliberations on the path ahead, especially in view of the upcoming elections, as per reports. Bandi Sanjay has however insisted that he has no issues with Rajagopal Reddy and Rajender and that there would not be any changes in state party leadership. He also alleged that the rumours were being propagated by Chief Minister KCR as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is feeling threatened by the BJP.
Krishna Sagar Rao while condemning Jithender Reddy’s comments was also critical of Rajagopal Reddy and Rajender. “The entry of these leaders into BJP has damaged the party’s image, as they aren’t acting like karyakartas. This behaviour isn’t in keeping with the spirit of the party,” he said. The statement was in reference to Rajagopal Reddy and Rajender calling on Amit Shah allegedly to denounce Bandi Sanjay’s leadership.
“It also makes the party wonder what Jithender Reddy’s intentions are when he makes such comments publicly. Either way, any change in party leadership or committee will be made by our top leaders in Delhi and as of now none of the leaders in Telangana have a say,” added Krishna Sagar Rao.
Eatala Rajender belongs to the Mudiraj community while Bandi Sanjay hails from the Munnuru Kapu community. Both are listed as Backward Classes (BC) which constitutes the largest population in Telangana. Political analysts have noted that factionalism in the Telangana unit of BJP is a result of caste dynamics.