A Twitter post of a former MP and BJP leader Jithender Reddy containing a Tik Tok video of a yak being kicked to suggest that this is the treatment that should be meted out to the party’s local leadership has left the BJP red faced.

Although Reddy subsequently clarified that his tweet was aimed at the detractors of BJP party president Bandi Sanjay within the party, many of his party colleagues were not amused.

This development came at a time when speculations are rife that Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar might be replaced in view of the infighting and leadership issues.

Following the tug of war over leadership in Telangana BJP, usually a cohesive unit has been found to be floundering. Many of the lateral entrants to the party have vented their frustration in the public or have met with the central leadership to voice their objections to the way the Telangana unit is being run by Bandi Sanjay Kumar who has a strong RSS background.

However, former BRS MP and current BJP leader AP Jithender Reddy posted a Tik Tok video of a yak being kicked on its backside to get it on a truck and titled it as “This treatment is what’s required for BJP Telangana leadership.”

This treatment is what’s required for Bjp Telangana leadership.@blsanthosh @BJP4India @AmitShah @sunilbansalbjp @BJP4Telangana pic.twitter.com/MMeUx7fb4Q

— AP Jithender Reddy (@apjithender) June 29, 2023

He deleted and reposted it again and even tagged Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and party’s senior functionaries BL Santosh and Sunil Bansal. In a separate tweet, he clarified that it was aimed at the detractors of Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

Party veterans, embarrassed by the turn of events, took to social media to comment on it.

N Ramchander, former BJP MLC, tweeted, “Dissent in democracy is the beauty and differences can be sorted. We don’t wash our D… linen in public. Dissent with discipline is decent. Let’s not cross the Laxman Reskha,” and tagged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and BL Santhosh along with others. Telangana BJP’s chief spokesperson K Krishna Sagar Rao also reacted saying, “I strongly condemn the random, damaging and unwarranted statements and tweets being made by some leaders in our party. They are forgetting the party they are representing. BJP is not Congress or TRS (BRS).”

Etela Rajender, the BRS-turned-BJP MLA also did not mince words when he said he has no clue as to why Jithender Reddy tweeted the video. He said, “Such experienced leaders should avoid loose talk and disrespect others in the party. One should not hurt the self-respect of others.”

He denied that he was looking to jump ship saying “Don’t ask me repeatedly about changing party. Changing parties is not like changing clothes.”