Telangana: Swami Paripoornananda hints thats he may join BJP

Hyderabad, Sep 5: Sri Peetham pontiff Swami Paripoornananda of Kakinada who is also reffered by some as 'Yogi Adityanath of Telangana may join the BJP if their ideologies match.

Swami Paripoornananda was banished from Hyderabad in July 2018 for incendiary speeches. He returned to the city on Tuesday and was welcomed by the members of right wing groups like the RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, among others.

"If I have to join, then the party will choose me, why should I run after a party? If there is a similarity in my thoughts and theirs (BJP), then there might be a possibility (of joining)," Paripoornananda told news agency ANI.

According to reports, BJP's possible endorsement of the Swami could be to bring a party leader in southern India similar to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

In July, the police said that the pontiff was externed from Hyderabad under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act.

The pontiff was later placed under house arrest. He was scheduled to lead a Yatra from July 9 onwards by chanting Shri Rama in protest against the comments made by film critic Kathi Mahesh. Mahesh had made some derogatory remarks against Hindu gods.

The police had asked the pontiff to leave Hyderabad on his own, but he refused to do so. The police then took him into custody and later escorted him out of the city.