The ruling TRS has accused BJP’s state leadership of threatening director SS Rajmouli of Bahubali fame for his upcoming film RRR only to garner votes in the Dubbaka Assembly byeelection slated tomorrow.

BJP leaders including the state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar has threatened the director after a recently released teaser had shown Junior NTR who is said to be espousing the role of revered Gond leader Konaram Bheem in the film, sporting a skull cap.

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Komaram Bheem was a Gond hero who had fought against the feudal lords under Asaf Jahi dynasty. He had defied the Nizam’s rule, fought his army by resorting to guerrilla warfare and raised the slogan of “Jal Jangal Jameen” for adivasis.

A district in Telangana has been named after him. Ever since the teaser was released on 22 October there has been uproar in the social media over portrayal of the Gond hero in skull cap. But it was while campaigning in Dubbaka that the BJP state president threatened to attack Rajamouli and his destroy his properties. “We oppose putting a skullcap on Komaram Bheem.

This will hurt the sentiments of the tribals. Do you have the guts to put tilak on the forehead of Nizam or Owaisi or a saffron scarf?” wrote Mr Sanjay Kumar on Twitter later iterating his threat. While clarifying that there was no ill will against the actors he added “We are not against Junior NTR or Ram Charan Garu who are acting in this movie.”

The BJP state president said: “I warn everyone we will burn down every theatre and conduct protests if the movie is released in any theatres.” Local BJP MP Soyam Bapu too criticised Rajamouli for the teaser during a tribal gathering in Adilabad in the same vein. However, TRS has now linked the rhetoric indulged by the BJP leaders to the bypoll at Dubbaka.

“We have seen Padmavat issue and we are seeing how SS Rajamouli is being threatened for RRR movie,” said TRS social media convenor Manne Krishank and added it was an instance of “Classic BJP textbooks politics just for mere votes.”

He went on to accuse BJP of resorting to distributing money, threatening police, staging drama as victims, threatening celebrities as well instigating violence to secure a victory in the bypoll.

Dubbaka which was held by TRS before the death of its sitting legislator has some 3.06 per cent scheduled tribes among its total population. Although Rajamouli fans have argued that RRR which is scheduled for release in January is a fictional film like Bahubali it has also been pointed out that BJP was appropriating the tribal leader as one of its own even though Gonds do not belong to either majority or minority communities.