Kalighat to Pandharpur: How KCR is finding agri-rich Maharashtra ideal launching pad for BRS

Hyderabad: From Kalighat to Pandharpur, Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao, is taking the “temple” route to promote his national political agenda.

The latest visit to the famed Shri Vitthal Rukmini temple in Pandharpur in Solapur District and Tulja Bhavani temple in Tuljapur of Osmanabad District of Maharashtra is an indication.

For the first time, KCR took his entire cabinet, and senior party leaders for darshan of the Lord Vithobha for success in Maharashtra and also in the ensuing Assembly election this year in a mammoth 600 motorcade as a show of strength.

CM timed his visit to the temple when lakhs of waris walk from Dehu, Alandi, and other parts of Maharashtra to participate in the annual Ashadhi palanquin procession to Pandharpur to honor Lord Vithoba. It’s one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world.

It is believed Saints Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram started the pilgrimage which has been part of Hindu culture in Maharashtra since the 13th century during the Bhakti movement.

KCR planned to shower rose petals from a helicopter, but the Maharashtra government denied permission.

Nana Patole, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president and Sakoli MLA was quick to slam KCR for trying to make political capital out of an annual wari pilgrimage to Vithobha temple.

“BRS is the B team of BJP. KCR left Hyderabad with a 600-car rally to make political capital out of the annual 10 lakh wari pilgrimage to Pandharpur. Several such parties have come and gone in the past. Congress will form next Government in Maharashtra,” he tweeted in Marathi.

Solapur is famous for Sri Siddarameshwar Temple and was once the hub of the textile industry. The famous thick “Solapur chuddhars” (bedsheets) originated from this place besides other textile material, which is famous all over the country.

Interestingly, Solapur has about 4 lakh Telugu-speaking weavers’ community (Shali) who had migrated from Telangana long back given large-scale textile mills, most of which are now shut. It also has a huge Veerashaiva Lingayat population.

As part of its foray into national politics, KCR had recently addressed meetings in Nagpur, Nanded, Kandhar Loha and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Aurangabad etc in Maharashtra State.

KCR finds agri-rich Maharashtra an ideal launching pad for his BRS party since he is implemented several pro-farmer schemes in Telangana which he promises to replicate there.

His slogan “Ab ki baar kisan sarkar” (this time a farmer’s government) promises to implement Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bhima, free power to the farm sector, free water, 24-hour uninterrupted power supply etc promoting the Telangana model of development. Toward his goal, KCR inaugurated BRS first office in Nagpur on June 15.

KCR, who is going solo at present, is taking on Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, NCP of Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), BJP, and Congress.

Politics via temple visits are nothing new for KCR. In the past, KCR visited the famed Kalighat temple in Kolkata in West Bengal in December 2018 to offer prayers and took the opportunity to meet West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata in a bid to step up efforts for a non-BJP and non-Congress Federal front. But the move fizzled out.

He had earlier visited Puri Jagannath temple and also met Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on a similar “temple cum Political” trip. Naveen Patnaik was quick to deny political talks saying “KCR had come to visit the temple.”

KCR said in Kolkata, “I came to visit the Kalighat (famed Kali temple in Kolkata) and I thought of meeting Didi and seek her blessings.”

Similarly, KCR offered prayers at the famous Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam near Tiruchirappalli in December 2021 and later called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and his family. He described it as a “courtesy call”.

Besides unity among Opposition parties, the issue of interlinking rivers like Cauvery and Godavari also came up in the talks.

Interestingly, DMK is in alliance with Congress then and rejected KCR’s overtures to join the Third Front. Finding no takers for his non-BJP and non-Congress political agenda in the country, he has decided to go solo through the darshan of various temples!

Though KCR visited many states in the country, he is yet to step into neighboring Telugu-speaking Andhra Pradesh to promote BRS.

Will he do it through Tirumala is to be seen.