Controversial and loud-mouth Teenmar Mallanna is fast turning out to be a headache for the Telangana BJP. To Mallanna, a self-styled journalist, who joined the BJP after the TRS government began hounding him, BJP seems to be only a sanctuary. His pro-Left ideological moorings continue to remain the same.
While the BJP welcomes his criticism of the TRS and KCR, it is not too happy with the attacks on Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar and his entrepreneur-disciple Jupally Rameswara Rao. On the issue of the installation of Samatha Murthy idol, Mallanna has been targeting both Jeeyar and Jupally. He has called Jeeyar casteist and Jupally a scamster, an opinion that the BJP does not share.
The BJP leaders starting from Prime Minister Modi down to Bandi Sanjay are flocking to Muchintal to pay obeisance to Sri Ramanuja. The seer is too willing to play ball with the BJP at the national level. Despite his proximity to KCR, Jeeyar is praising Modi and Amit Shah to skies. But, Mallanna’s remarks are sticking out like a sore thumb.
Several within the BJP are questioning Mallanna’s stand and want the party . Mallanna is adopting an approach that fits with the Leftist outlook, which BJP staunchly opposes. But, no one seems to be reining in Mallanna. Despite Modi visiting Muchintal, Mallanna continued criticising both Jeeyar and Jupalli. Yet, the party leadership in the state is taking no action against him. What more, Mallanna was part of the BJP leaders team which welcomed Modi at Shamshabad.
