Nara Bhuvaneswari, the wife of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Chandrababu Naidu, visited St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rajahmundry on September 27, 2023, to offer special prayers for the release of her husband, who is currently in judicial custody. She was accompanied by her daughter-in-law.
Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, has been held in Rajamahendravaram Central Prison following an extension of his remand until October 5 in a multi-crore skill development scam case.
The case involves alleged misappropriation in the establishment of clusters of centers of excellence (CoEs) in Andhra Pradesh with an estimated project value of Rs 3300 crores.
After the prayers, Bhuvaneswari also visited a relay hunger strike camp in East Godavari district, where TDP supporters have been fasting in solidarity with Chandrababu Naidu.
During her visit, Bhuvaneswari questioned the prolonged detention of her husband without any concrete investigation into the corruption charges. She emphasized that the authorities have failed to substantiate their allegations against the former Chief Minister and called for unity in supporting him.
Notably, Chandrababu Naidu has faced criticism in the past for his appeasement of the Christian community. He had made various announcements aimed at promoting Christian pilgrimages, conversions, and the development of Christian burial grounds during his tenure as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.
A 2021 news report by News18 reminds us that Naidu once called Jagan Reddy a Christian CM. He had said, “Jagan Reddy is a Christian chief minister. I am not finding fault in that. He has his own beliefs. I believe in Venkateswara Swamy. But such attacks should not be allowed on other religions. Jagan has no right to continue as the chief minister even for a minute as he has failed to prevent these attacks,”. However, his wife’s recent visit to churches for prayers has raised questions about his religious affiliations.
The current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Reddy, and his father are notably associated with the Christian faith. In a move that raised eyebrows, Jagan’s government appointed individuals with alleged Christian backgrounds, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, to prominent positions such as the Chairman of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam Board.
Aside from this, rampant conversion to Christianity by missionaries in the state of Andhra Pradesh is very common knowledge. Thus, if Nara Bhuvaneswari turns out to be a converted Christian, it would not surprise us but cement the opinion that Andhra Pradesh will probably have a Christian majority sooner rather than later.
