The largest political party of India, BJP seems to have quite a liking for the seers and sages in the country. Recently, Swami Paripoornananda, the pontiff of Sreepeethan of Kakinanda, Andhra Pradesh met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday. The speculations are rife that he may join the party and even be the face of the chief ministerial candidate of the state.
According to sources, Swami Paripoornananda is also said to have met BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath.
It is said that BJP national leadership had been looking for a prominent face for the party in Telangana as it was not happy with the weak leadership in the state. Media reports also claimed that the BJP may field Swami Paripoornananda from Hyderabad against AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
After the meeting, Swami said, “I will disclose my future course of action after Dasara navaratri festival. I will work as per the directions of Amit Shah.”
Although state-level BJP leaders have said he has not joined the party yet, but given he joins the party it will give the BJP a new Hindutva face, like Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
A senior leader from the BJP’s Telangana unit said bringing him aboard will polarize votes across Muslim-dominated assembly constituencies in Hyderabad.
Swami Paripoornananda was expelled in July from the Hyderabad for six months for allegedly making provocative statements. The BJP had then reacted strongly to the ban order against the seer. But in September the High court stayed the order on Paripoornananda, and the seer was welcomed to Hyderabad by BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other right-wing organizations.
The state is going to conduct the polls on December 7.