BJP’s Hindutva push in Telangana: Bhagyalakshmi temple, promise to rename Hyderabad

The BJP in Telangana has time and again promised to rename capital Hyderabad to Bhagyanagar – on the basis of the party’s narrative surrounding the city’s Bhagyalakshmi Temple. 

The issue also became a poll pivot for the party’s campaign for the Hyderabad municipal corporation in 2020. In terms of numbers, the Hindutva campaign bore fruit for the BJP. Now, ahead of the assembly polls, the small shrine next to Charminar has again become the focal point for the party’s leaders at poll campaigns and even protests. 

But will this Hindutva push reap results for the BJP? What is the history of the Bhagyalakshmi Temple? What are the controversies surrounding it? 

TNM’s Pooja Prasanna and Yunus Lasania look at the public sentiments, the history of the city and the shrine, and fact-check the BJP’s claims.

Watch.

This report has been published as part of the joint NL-TNM Election Fund and is supported by hundreds of readers. Click here to power our ground reports.