Bharat Rakshak

nvishal wrote:Andhra has not been under conquest rule in the recent past like telangana has. That may explain why there is no anger in andhra. Or maybe andhra people are just culturally different than telangana people.

In my fathers village in nizamabad, middle aged women there organize these "ladies trip" every alternative year. I found out after I Iooked at their photo albums and found they have been to ayodhya, rishikesh and all these popular pilgrimage sites around India. They had been to shirdi too but never told me. I live in Mumbai and no women in my building has ever been to ayodhya. I then realized that these people in villages of telangana were more boldly religious than I could have imagined. Does this happen in andhra villages also?

vijayk wrote:
Andhra people mostly Tirupati, Kalahasti, badhrachalam etc. I haven't see much of Ayodhya or Haridwar or Kasi

jaysimha wrote:

vijayk wrote:
Andhra people mostly Tirupati, Kalahasti, badhrachalam etc. I haven't see much of Ayodhya or Haridwar or Kasi

No Sir, I disagree,,

When You visit Kashi, there are so many telugu visitors,
I saw all boards first in Hindi and next in telugu.

Behind Annapoorneshwari temple there is a choultry where they provide mahaprasada. There is huuuge list of contributors from telugu people and still growing.

jaysimha wrote:

vijayk wrote:
Andhra people mostly Tirupati, Kalahasti, badhrachalam etc. I haven't see much of Ayodhya or Haridwar or Kasi

No Sir, I disagree,,

When You visit Kashi, there are so many telugu visitors,
I saw all boards first in Hindi and next in telugu.

Behind Annapoorneshwari temple there is a choultry where they provide mahaprasada. There is huuuge list of contributors from telugu people and still growing.

Yagnasri wrote:They do travel but that much. Shirdi people go as the cult of Sai baba is quite wide spread.

I agree that in Telangana where the people suffered a lot under Nizam and Razakars the Hindu identity and awareness is quite good and in AP most of which was under British or under the Hindu princes there is not much security related fear and hardship from Jihadis is not there.

vijayk wrote:How is TN BJP doing?

So, this coming election may be very tricky for BJP to manoeuvre and come out with some positives. On the ADMK side, there is the threat of confusion due to Sasikala and family getting active and also partisan sabotage by Ramadoss and family's PMK, Vijayakanth and family's DMDK etc. Even though there is no dearth of family politics and sabotage on the DMK side, I think the core group consisting of the Congress, the commies and some of the activist gangs like Thiruma's VCK will stick together with DMK. There are a few other gangs including Kamal's party , the Kongu party, etc and with AIMIM threatening to play, that may find a bit more traction to split votes. Even with minimal anti-incumbency pressures, the current ADMK-BJP combination will struggle this election year unless some miracle happens.

ramana wrote:Dumal Can you guesstimate the % voteshares of these groups?

So, this coming election may be very tricky for BJP to manoeuvre and come out with some positives. On the ADMK side, there is the threat of confusion due to Sasikala and family getting active and also partisan sabotage by Ramadoss and family's PMK, Vijayakanth and family's DMDK etc. Even though there is no dearth of family politics and sabotage on the DMK side, I think the core group consisting of the Congress, the commies and some of the activist gangs like Thiruma's VCK will stick together with DMK. There are a few other gangs including Kamal's party , the Kongu party, etc and with AIMIM threatening to play, that may find a bit more traction to split votes. Even with minimal anti-incumbency pressures, the current ADMK- BJP combination will struggle this election year unless some miracle happens.

Thanks, ramana

Dumal wrote:
The allies and alliances changed, sometimes dramatically, over these years accounting for the best voteshares when alliances are strong and opposition divided and vice versa. The trajectory for ADMK/BJP alliance has not been great since 2016. And the opposite is true for the DMK/INC/left.

The restaurateur said that many customers come to eat at her restaurant without any issue. “So the ones who are okay with the concept of me selling non-halal food are welcome to come here and those who are not can choose not to enter”, said the lady, furthering that there are many who want to eat non-halal food and nobody has the right to force them to eat halal food. “Keeping a non-halal board outside the eatery does not have to be made into such a big issue”, vociferated Smt Tushara.

RamSuresh wrote:
The headwinds are clearly on ADMK and it would require a miracle to get re-elected.

Dumal wrote:

RamSuresh wrote:
The headwinds are clearly on ADMK and it would require a miracle to get re-elected.

I almost wish that there was a Vito Corleone like move that BJP can make to give an offer that DMK can't refuse and the two ally, leaving out INC and the commies et al. That way DMK's rule can be under a short leash as well as giving some breathing space for the Centre. The two were allies last during Vajpayee's full term.

Dumal wrote: I almost wish that there was a Vito Corleone like move that BJP can make to give an offer that DMK can't refuse and the two ally, leaving out INC and the commies et al.

Dumal wrote:

RamSuresh wrote:
The headwinds are clearly on ADMK and it would require a miracle to get re-elected.

I almost wish that there was a Vito Corleone like move that BJP can make to give an offer that DMK can't refuse and the two ally, leaving out INC and the commies et al. That way DMK's rule can be under a short leash as well as giving some breathing space for the Centre. The two were allies last during Vajpayee's full term.

Aditya_V wrote:
what next BJP should ally with TMC, ideologically INC DMK TMC CPI M go together. It is better to loose elections than to have anything with DMK.

If you see down the level, DMK cadre is Christians(Chruches in TN are with INC) + Muslim + Rationalists Hindu haters, AIDMK core is more Hindu and identifies with India.

It is because AIDMK a Hindu alternative and TN based is there Hindus + minorities with a more nationalistic view align with AIDMK, the Church Ecosystem is pretty strong in TN and they blacklist anyone working for BJP - thats why when AIDMK is there people think it is best way to defeat DMK.

DMK was working for INC during Vajpayee rule and moved to UPA in 2004 when time came to sabotage.

Long term BJP and for India- AIDMK+ BJP alliance is better even it losses the 2021 election. Stay away from Shasikala clan, they have links to DMK. if AIDMK is keen on Shasikala clan, they better to break away and loose elections on its own.

RamSuresh wrote:

Dumal wrote: I almost wish that there was a Vito Corleone like move that BJP can make to give an offer that DMK can't refuse and the two ally, leaving out INC and the commies et al.

BJP will bring 3% to DMK and take away 25% minority votes. Why would DMK take any offer from BJP?

Dumal wrote:

RamSuresh wrote:
BJP will bring 3% to DMK and take away 25% minority votes. Why would DMK take any offer from BJP?

Of course! It can't make sense by just the numbers here. But perhaps, there are other things that the DMK family and friends might covet... Perhaps Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi might find the going easier... Perhaps someone can get a junior minister role in the center. Etc.

Also, it could be a cover to let go of the standoffish rhetoric by DMK all these years in the opposition and to swim with the development wave that BJP brings about nationwide.

Dumal wrote:Agree with the scenarios you are painting. If the BIF ecosystem thrives because of the political system, the "secular" constitutional and judicial cover and the support from the divisive local and regional politicians, isn't the way to defend against them consist of reducing the space for these local political gangs and slowly make them irrelevant to the larger population. And for that, BJP and any similar nationalist party needs to have a stake in the governance over a continuous period. We've seen how BJP coopted opponents in Bihar and succeeded progressively to hold control. But that didn't work in Mah or AP. Similarly they found the opportunity to work with ADMK over the past 4 years. It will be a big setback if the centre has to deal with TN as a INC supported opposition power after this coming election.

Andhra Pradesh Police Arrest Pastor Who Claimed To Have Kicked Temple Murtis And Created ‘Christ’ Villages
https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/andh ... t-villages
An Andhra Pradesh pastor, Praveen Chakravarthy, who had claimed to have kicked temple murtis (idols) on their heads and converted an entire village to Christianity has been arrested by the state police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code that could even get him life sentence.

According to A S Santosh, president of Hyderabad-based Legal Rights Protection Forum, Chakravarthy was arrested on Tuesday from his hometown Kakinada following a complaint filed by a Guntur resident, Singam Lakshmi Narayana.

This is the first time that the Andhra Pradesh government has cracked down on a Christian preacher, who has claimed to have desecrated idols and indulged in conversion.
..

NTR inaugurated the refurbished boulevard on Tank Bund with its awe-inspiring iconography with fanfare on 1 November 1986, the formation day of the linguistic state. He delivered an inspiring speech, detailing the great qualities of the stalwarts standing on Tank Bund. Each one of the statues was unveiled by a prominent personality invited for the occasion.

For example, the statue of Rani Rudrama Devi was formally unveiled by writer Illendula Saraswathi Devi. Sir Arthur Cotton's statue was unveiled by Rev. Bishop B G Prasada Rao and that of Sri Sri (Srirangam Srinivasa Rao) by Justice K Punnaiah, while Pothana's statue was uncovered by Prof Biruduraju Ramaraju.

NTR had roped in the services of film cameramen in Madras such as Marcus Bartley and Jaihind Satyam to help give shape to some of the personalities of the distant past. The historical iconographies created in films through photography in the past were used as the visual reference. An example was Tyagayya, portrayed by Chittoor Nagaiah in a film of the same name from the 1940s. As NTR had, in his films, played historical personalities, such as Sri Krishnadevaraya and Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy, they were modelled on his portrayal.

For others like Nannaya and Tikkana, literary references were used as clues. There was obviously less of a problem with twentieth-century figures. NTR had requested his long-standing writer-friend Jnanpith awardee C Narayana Reddy to come up with pithy couplets in lilting Telugu. The verses captured the valuable contributions made by these eminent personalities. These were inscribed on the six-feet high pedestal of each nine-feet-tall statue. For example, the writeup on Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy read thus: 'Aagami kalagnana karta, purogrami samaaja samskartha [Foreteller of times ahead, forward-thinking reformer].'

Evidently, a lot of thought and effort went into the project. An analysis of the figures would show the liberal and democratic spirit behind the selection. The eclectic list included: the early literary trinity Nannaya, Tikkana and Yerrapragada; followed by Pothana of Bhagavatham fame; modern literary and reformist figures like Gurajada Appa Rao, Gurram Jashuva, Veeresalingam Pantulu and Srirangam Srinivasa Rao (Sri Sri); cultural icons who contributed to Telugu devotional poetry such as Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, Ramadasu and Tyagayya; the first Telugu emperor of yore, Salivahana; the founder of modern Kuchipudi, Siddhendra Yogi; progressive medieval writer Vemana; accomplished woman poet Kummari Molla; the celebrated king who presided over the golden period of Telugu literary history, Krishnadevaraya; social reformer Raghupati Venkataratnam Naidu; editor-journalist Mutnuri Krishna Rao; historian Suravaram Pratapa Reddy; national flag designer Pingali Venkayya; Hindu mystic Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy; philosopher and statesman Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan; rationalist playwright and reformer Tripuraneni Ramaswamy; educationist and scholar C.R. Reddy; iconic revolutionary Alluri Sitarama Raju; modern theatre personality Bellary Raghava; broad-minded medieval minister Brahmanaidu; liberal Muslim ruler of Hyderabad Abul Hasan Tana Shah; the enlightened sixth Nizam Mir Mahabub Ali Khan; the builder of a gigantic irrigation development work in the Godavari Delta, Sir Arthur Cotton; progressive Urdu poet Maqdoom Mohiuddin; and the valorous queen of Kakatiya Dynasty, Rani Rudrama Devi. It showed the heterogeneous, non-sectarian and broad-based approach adopted by NTR to represent the glorious achievements of Telugus.

However, several pro-Telangana commentators, during the peak of the separatist agitation, saw in the Tank Bund statues 'regional hegemony', a thinly veiled expression for alleged Andhra domination. One objection was that the Telangana region did not get adequate representation. Though proportional regional representation was not the goal, out of the thirty-three personalities, seven were from the Telangana region, sixteen from coastal Andhra, six from the Rayalaseema region, and four were born outside the erstwhile united AP.

Another criticism was that the project helped mainly to consolidate the TDP's identity and inscribe NTR's image within it. Critics said the facial features of some of the statues looked suspiciously like NTR's. Santosh Kumar Sakhinala, an art researcher, alleged that the visual symbolism of the Tank Bund statues involved 'a form of occupationist intervention in the city', by suppressing 'the syncretic Islamic historical identity of Hyderabad by projecting a new hegemonic Telugu history'.

The argument of these scholars appears to be that the 'Islamic historical identity' of Hyderabad should be frozen for all times to come despite the city having emerged as the capital of Telugu-speaking people, with their distinct culture and long history. The subsequent destruction of several of these statues on Tank Bund by highly charged Telangana activists was certainly not an effort to restore this 'Islamic historical identity'.

It was more an assertion of the Telangana ownership of Hyderabad. The act of defilement, however, was explained away by the apologists as a legitimate expression of the long-suppressed anger of the people at the continuing injustice done to the region.

None of the stalwarts on the Tank Bund at the receiving end of the separatist ire would have had any inkling of these latter-day rumblings. Nor could they, by any stretch of the imagination, be accused of partaking in the alleged discrimination since regional identities were not formed in the way they came to be perceived in modern times.

In any case, NTR took his mission as one of bringing a sense of community among the Telugu-speaking people. He wanted the Tank Bund iconography to serve as a reminder of past glory and its continuity in the present. 'There is no future for people who forget their past,' NTR said on unveiling the statues. He called the icons 'inspiring symbols' that showed the way for a 'society devoid of caste, class and religious discrimination'.

In conceiving the project, NTR directed his efforts towards broader cultural nationalism and not the narrow confines of linguistic chauvinism. He wanted to draw inspiration not merely from Telugu-speaking people but anyone who was related to Telugu or contributed to its glory. That was the reason non-residents and even non-Telugu speakers found a place on Tank Bund. But ironically an affirmation of regional identity was later subverted by a counter-assertion of sub-regional identity.

(Excerpt from 'Maverick Messiah – A Political Biography of N T Rama Rao' By Ramesh Kandula, Published by Penguin eBury Press)

Cyrano wrote:Telangana state formation was a naked a power grab by Telangana elite who want to perpetuate the feudal system that existed for centuries. The oppressors and oppressed live to die in their own feudal "heritage".

by suppressing 'the syncretic Islamic historical identity of Hyderabad by projecting a new hegemonic Telugu history'.

Cyrano wrote: naked a power grab by Telangana elite who want to perpetuate the feudal system that existed for centuries. The oppressors and oppressed live to die in their own feudal "heritage"