Since last night, netizens in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and several other states have been trending the hashtag #SaveHindusFromJaganReddy. The hullabaloo is such that the hashtag is trending atop in Hyderabad and among the top Twitter India trends.
And this is no sudden eruption by the Hindus against Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The outrage seems to be a result of several allegedly anti-Hindu incidents ever since Jagan took charge as the CM, including the scandalous incidents at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam and the recent demolition of a Hindu temple in Guntur.
But Jagan’s election promise to pay a monthly salary of Rs 5,000 to the pastors, imams and mouzzanas is the main reason behind the Hindu fury now. The Jagan government has allotted nearly Rs 950 crores per year towards the salaries for the pastors and imams and it’s ready for implementation soon.
Hindus argue that, unlike the Hindu priests, there is no official or foolproof system to spot the beneficiaries among the pastors or the imams, as neither churches or mosques come under the government purview. In this scenario, Hindus are voicing against the spending of public money to appease the minorities.
With several BJP leaders and Hindu activists raking up the issue nationally, the centre might soon intervene and even stop Jagan’s move at the earliest.
