Yoga Day in Visakhapatnam: Modi Shares Stage With Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan
On the morning of June 21, 2025, the beachfront of Visakhapatnam transformed into a stage for political symbolism. Prime minister Narendra Modi, flanked by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, led a sea of over 500,000 people in celebrating the 11th International Yoga Day. Modi described yoga as “humanity’s pause button” to restore harmony, and the event was officially hailed as a testament to India’s soft power.
But the choice of Andhra Pradesh for this high-profile event was no accident. It represents a sophisticated move in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) long-term strategy to breach its southern frontier. The event serves as the soft edge of a two-pronged strategy to normalise and embed Hindutva politics into the Telugu consciousness, a project in which its senior ally, the TDP, appears to be a willing, if potentially imperilled, partner.
Political analyst professor K. Nageshwar points out that the BJP’s ‘focus South’ mission is now paramount. “Since it is their government in Andhra, they held it here so as not to give credit to other governments”.
There is also the dynamic of the alliance itself. Nageshwar suggests that Naidu may have been proactive in hosting the event, possibly to “overcome a lingering guilt consciousness” from his sharp criticism of Modi before the 2019 elections. Naidu’s effusive praise for Modi since their 2024 victory signals a desire to remain in the Union government’s good graces, a necessity given his state’s need for central funds for ambitious projects like the Amaravati capital.
The ‘hard’ edge
The groundwork for the BJP’s rise has been laid through a series of deliberately polarising events, with JSP chief Pawan Kalyan acting as the saffron spearhead, leveraging his star power and his identity as a leader of the powerful and restive Kapu community.
Kalyan’s public behaviour serves a dual purpose: it projects him as the pre-eminent defender of Sanatana Dharma, while simultaneously consolidating his position as the undisputed leader of the Kapus, effectively tethering their long-held political aspirations to the Hindutva project. The Tirupati laddu controversy in September 2024, followed by the tragic temple stampede in January 2025, were masterfully exploited. He donned saffron robes, performed penance, and successfully positioned himself as the authentic voice of Hindu anguish, forcing the TDP-led administration into defensive apologies. His “heads-I-win-tails-you-lose” strategy sees him taking credit for successes while shifting blame for failures onto the TDP administration.
This has been amplified by the Sangh Parivar. The massive ‘Haindava Sankharavam’ organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Vijayawada directly challenged the TDP’s legacy by demanding the repeal of the 1987 Endowments Act – a landmark reform by TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao that democratised temple management. By calling for an “Ayodhya model,” the VHP, with Kalyan’s support, is attempting to dismantle a system designed to include backward classes, pushing a narrative of “Hindus first, caste next.”
A senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member and Kapu leader from Eluru, requesting anonymity, had confirmed this strategy earlier: “We are promoting the narrative that it is Kalyan and state BJP leaders who are bringing tangible benefits to the state. This narrative is helping us grow rapidly here.”
The ‘soft’ push
If Kalyan’s temple politics is the hard edge, Yoga Day was the sophisticated soft push. When Modi praised Nara Lokesh’s efforts in the “Yogandhra Abhiyan,” he was deploying what scholar Meera Nanda calls “reactionary modernism.” This strategy involves embracing modern concepts like global platforms, scientific language, and wellness, and reinterpreting them through a Hindu civilisational lens.
As author Dinesh Narayan in his book The RSS: And the Making of the Deep Nation notes that the global acceptance of yoga is seen by the RSS as “proof of the validity and global acceptance of Indian values.” The BJP government has masterfully “scientised” yoga, framing it not as a religious practice but as a universal method for well-being. This detaches it from overt religious dogma, making it palatable to a modern audience while subtly reinforcing the myth of a superior, ancient Hindu wisdom.
Professor Nageshwar concurs. “It could also be the case that BJP is using International Yoga Day as an instrument to create familiarity with its kind of politics in Andhra,” he affirms. This “familiarisation” normalises the symbols and philosophies of the Hindu right under the benign cover of health and tradition, creating fertile ground for the BJP’s political brand to take root.
The TDP’s catch-22
This leaves Chandrababu Naidu in a precarious position. He needs the NDA in New Delhi. Yet, by providing the platform for events like Yoga Day and tolerating Kalyan’s aggressive politics, he is facilitating the creation of a powerful new political force. This force is not just a “Hindu vote bank,” but one powerfully fused with the caste aspirations of the Kapu community, threatening to fundamentally alter the state’s traditional political arithmetic, which has long relied on a delicate balance of Kammas, the backward classes, and other groups.
Concerns are already being voiced within pro-TDP circles. Senior journalist Vemuri Radhakrishna has spoken about the existential threat Kalyan and the BJP pose to Naidu and the TDP’s future. The assault on NTR’s Endowments Act is a direct attack on the TDP’s ideological foundations.
The spectacle on Visakhapatnam’s beaches was, therefore, the perfect political asana for the BJP: a posture of peace and unity that simultaneously strengthens its core and extends its reach, all while its partner holds the pose, perhaps without fully realising the long-term strain.
Also Read: How Indira Gandhi Used 42nd Amendment to Crush Indian Democracy: 21-Month Emergency Exposed
