The BJP sought to defend Bandi Sanjay, saying he was merely showing respect to his 'elder brother' Amit Shah.
Published Aug 22, 2022 | 8:36 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2022 | 8:36 PM
Amit Shah welcoming former Congress MLA K Rajagopal Reddy to the BJP at a rally in Munugode. (Twitter/BJP Telangana)
BJP leaders on Monday, 22 August, scrambled to defend its Telangana unit President Bandi Sanjay — who was caught on camera carrying the slippers of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Hyderabad on Sunday — after he came in for some sustained trolling by both the TRS and the Congress.
The video, in which Sanjay is seen fetching Shah’s sandals and placing them at his feet at the Ujjaini Mahakali temple in Secunderabad, has been doing rounds on social media after it was posted by TRS cadres and Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao.
“BJP leaders have an inherent culture of respecting elders and helping an elder brother like Amit Shah is not an act of against self-respect,” BJP Telangana spokesperson NV Subhash told South First.
He alleged that “defaming” Sanjay was an act of desperation by TRS leaders to divert attention from CM KCR’s daughter and MLC Kavitha K, whose name surfaced in the Delhi liquor scam.
అవును మోదీ జీ,
మాకు మీ గుజరాత్ గులాంగిరి నుంచి విముక్తి కావాలి…జై తెలంగాణ#TelanganaPride@KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/MN87JNru0k
— Krishank (@Krishank_BRS) August 22, 2022
Slamming Bandi Sanjay’s act, TRS spokesperson Krishank Manne called it a regular habit of the former to please his bosses.
“It is not about respecting elders — the way he ran to pick the chappals (slippers) shows he wanted to please him. And he has a habit of pleasing his bosses; during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Hyderabad in July, he referred to him as Devudu Anna (God’s brother). What kind of sycophancy is this?” Manne told South First, adding that the “act of slavery” was utterly shameful.
Earlier, KTR re-tweeted the video and said that the people of Telangana were watching the “Gujarati slaves who carry Delhi’s shoes”.
While using the hashtag “#TelanganaPride”, the TRS leader added that the people of Telangana are “ready to reverse the attempt to denigrate Telangana’s self-respect and uphold Telangana’s self-respect.”
The constant invocation of “Telangana pride” is no coincidence, and references an incident back in 1982.
Then Congress general secretary Rajiv Gandhi had publicly called T Anjaiah, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, a “buffoon” for bringing drummers and musicians onto the tarmac of Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport to welcome him.
The local media went to town over the “public humiliation” of the chief minister. Anjaiah was later sacked.
The incident is said to have prompted Telugu star NT Rama Rao to quit films and launch the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on a “Telugu pride” platform.
In Assembly elections held the following year, 1983, the TDP stormed to power, winning 205 of the 294 seats. The Congress, which had 205 seats in the previous election in 1978, could win only 60.
The trend held in the Lok Sabha elections of 1984 — when Rajiv Gandhi came to power nationally by winning over 400 seats in Parliament — as the Congress, which had nearly swept all 42 seats in Andhra Pradesh the previous election, could only win half a dozen seats. The TDP that year sent 30 MPs to Parliament.
Comment – As we have said multiple times before, BJP is the worst manifestation of congress.
Be it nepotism, corporate corruption, subservience..
How is this any different from Rajeev Gandhi – Anjiah episode?
Disgusting to say the least. Have some spine… pic.twitter.com/PP82PJynw6
— Telugu360 (@Telugu360) August 22, 2022
“These people (Bandi Sanjay and BJP) talk about the pride of Telangana but… instead of representing the issues of Telangana to his bosses, he is busy pleasing them. He should have some self-respect as he is an MP and BJP state president,” added Manne.
He alleged that tomorrow BJP and its leaders will act in the same way toward the people of Telangana.
Telangana BJP state president MP Bandi Sanjay rushing to give foot-ware to his colleague MP Amit Shah!
Gulamgiri at its best 👇 pic.twitter.com/W1yXFI6zVZ
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) August 22, 2022
The Congress, too entered the fray, calling Amit Shah a Tadipar (fugitive), and asked if the Telangana BJP president was carrying sandals, what should the rest of its cadres do?
తెలంగాణ ఆత్మగౌరవం ఒకప్పటి తడీపార్ కాళ్ళ వద్ద పెట్టిన బండి! @bandisanjay_bjp @BJP4Telangana నేతల కట్టు బానిసత్వానికి పరాకాష్ట!ఇంత నీచమా బీజేపీలో మీ బ్రతుకులు!మరి తెలంగాణ బీజేపీ అధ్యక్షుడే చెప్పులు మోస్తుంటే, మిగతవారు ఇంకేమి పనులు చెయ్యాలో? pic.twitter.com/9MAANDoVhQ
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) August 22, 2022
Congress MP and AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore gave a caste angle to the incident, saying: “Telangana BJP president Sanjay Bandi takes shoes of Amit Shah… ‘Telugu Vari Atma Gauravam’ (Telugu self-respect). What’s the position of a backward class leader in the BJP… see the truth.”
BJP’s Subhash alleged attempt by the TRS to divert attention from CM KCR’s daughter and MLC Kavitha K, whose name surfaced in the Delhi liquor scam, would not succeed.
“TRS leaders are worried about their future as people of the state have decided to dethrone the corrupt TRS rule and are waiting for any chance to use in their favour.”
Shah was in Telangana for a public rally in the Munugode Assembly constituency, which is all set to witness a bypoll after former Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy resigned as MLA earlier this month.
On Sunday, Reddy was formally inducted into BJP at Shah’s rally.
