YSR Here, There, Everywhere

The politics behind dedicating temples to political leaders in Andhra Pradesh

It’s over two years since the death of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, or just YSR. But the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh remains popular. First, his followers built YSR statues (nearly 1,700, as counted by the exasperated rival party, Telugu Desam). Now they are building YSR temples.

Last week, YSR’s son, Jaganmohan Reddy, inaugurated the third temple dedicated to his father in Rajagopala-puram village in Visakhapatnam.

YSR Congress members, who have initiated the ‘temple movement’, have planned at least 100 such temples, where a statue of their late leader will adorn the sanctum sanctorum. Pujas will be conducted daily, says Radhakrishna, a party block leader in Guntur.

The omnipresence of YSR in brick, mortar or metal across the political landscape of Andhra Pradesh is serving their purpose of sustaining sympathy for the departed CM so that Jaganmohan and the YSR Congress get votes. Jaganmohan formed the YSR Congress out of spite after the Congress refused to let him ‘inherit’ YSR’s mantle.

Often, YSR statues are put up illegally. YSR’s bête noire, TDP head Chandrababu Naidu, has complained about this to the Election Commission. Now, he has the temples to deal with. Much to Naidu’s frustration, YSR remains a loved figure despite being the main accused in a case pertaining to illegal assets being investigated by the CBI. “How can there be statues of a criminal who looted the state?’’ fumes Naidu. But so far, the state government has looked the other way.

Naidu is particularly irritated because his own party is struggling. What further gets his goat is that the current Congress government, under Kiran Kumar Reddy, did not let the TDP install a statue of its founder and late Chief Minister NT Rama Rao in Khammam district. The UPA is also sitting tight on a proposal to install NTR’s bust in Parliament. In 2008, when YSR was in command, he had issued guidelines and a government order regulating the installation of statues on thoroughfares and junctions. Naidu claims this was done to pre-empt the TDP from installing NTR statues. But in Indian politics, rules and government orders seem to follow a rotation policy, like in Indian cricket these days. And as YSR Congress members say, “If there is an Indira Gandhi temple in Rajamundhry, a Khushboo temple in Tamil Nadu, why can’t we have temples for our leader?’

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Anil Budur Lulla