Powertrip: The Ram temple photo dilemma in Tamil Nadu and Shobha Karandlaje’s turf fight

Welcome to Powertrip, a newsletter exclusively curated for TNM Subscribers by Dhanya Rajendran, Shabbir Ahmed and Pooja Prasanna. In this issue, we talk about the DMK's complicated reaction to the Ram temple inauguration invites, Shobha Karandlaje's troubles on her home turf and Gurumurthy's Project Annamalai..Inside TrackExclusive stories, for your eyes only..DMK and the complicated question of Ram temple invite photosWhether you switch on a news channel or browse through social media, pictures of the VHP, BJP and Ayodhya temple trust members extending invites to the Ram temple inauguration are unavoidable. In Tamil Nadu, however, things are a bit different, a BJP source says. Though invites have been given to a few leaders from opposition parties, including the DMK, many have clearly said they don’t want photographs published.One photograph that raised eyebrows was Chief Minister MK Stalin’s wife receiving the invite and akshatam (rice mixed with turmeric and kumkum that is used in Hindu rituals) from a group of VHP and RSS leaders, including Rama Rajasekhar who is the RSS Saha Prantha Samparka Pramukh. However, after this photo became public, a few leaders apparently have become okay with publishing theirs. While a picture of the Mylapore DMK MLA receiving the invite was tweeted out, we hear that another DMK MLA from Chennai city had refused to even pose for a photo.Now another interesting tidbit is that some of these meetings are being arranged by a Chennai-based businessman who has good ties with the BJP, DMK, Congress, and others.Meanwhile, RSS sources claim (emphasising on the word claim) that the highest number of donations from any city for the Ram temple has been from Chennai. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai also has been publicly declaring that the third largest donation from a state was from Tamil Nadu.Cracks in home bastion, trouble for Shobha KarandlajeKarnataka BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje whose job as a Union minister has kept her busy in Delhi has been facing opposition on the home front. The Member of Parliament from Udupi-Chikmagalur has lost favour with the new state BJP president BY Vijayendra. And looks like the sentiment is mutual. Vijayendra’s camp says that Shobha is very unpopular in her Lok Sabha constituency. When Vijayendra visited Chikmagalur as part of his tour to assess the mood of the voters, BJP leaders were vocal against Shobha. Many voters too were miffed that she has not visited the district in almost four years.So if Vijayendra has his way, Shobha will not get a ticket to contest this time. And Shobha herself has been making her angst against Vijayendra obvious. She has reportedly refused to visit the party office in Bengaluru since Vijayendra took over. And did not even post a tweet to congratulate him on his appointment. She was one of the three front-runners for the job and being overlooked has clearly not gone down well with her.Gurumurthy’s Project AnnamalaiThis one is a bit complicated, so take time to read. Thuglak magazine’s 54th annual meet at Chennai on January 14 had two main guests – Shashi Tharoor and Annamalai. Thuglak’s editor and RSS ideologue Gurumurthy’s decision to invite Tharoor did not surprise many, but BJP insiders told us they were surprised at the invitation extended to Annamalai. That’s because the buzz in the party is that the two did not trust each other much. Gurumurthy didn’t stop with the invitation, he praised Annamalai to the hilt at the event. Apparently there was a meeting between the two in early January and some things were ironed out.So now to the next question, why would Annamalai move close to Gurumurthy? The BJP insiders believe the reason is Annamalai’s mentor BL Santhosh’s declining stock in the BJP. With a terrible loss in Karnataka and Yediurappa’s son Vijayendra taking over the party in the state, it’s clear that BL Santhosh’s word is no longer final. And it doesn’t end there. Annamalai and Gurumurthy have more in common, for example their desire to restrain the influence of Edappadi Palaniswami. Another common ground it seems is Nirmala Sitharaman, who has become a frequent visitor to the state. Keeping a tab on Nirmala’s growing influence and interference is also crucial for the duo. So, after Project OPS and Project Rajinikanth, maybe it’s time for Gurumurthy’s Project Annamalai..Zero HourA political story of public importance.After becoming PM, Modi secretly tried to cut states’ income massively.Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam reveals Modi held backdoor negotiations with the Finance Commission to cut tax funds allocated to states, and says gov't finances are so shady, they could be hit by a 'Hindenburg'..PowermovesTop 5 political storiesThe Sangh in Kerala stayed on the sidelines of the Ram Janmabhoomi movementHow the Telugu states’ most popular sweet shop financed the Ram Janmabhoomi movementIn Karnataka BJP internal feud, a political consultancy caught in the crosshairsHow 1500 Dalits converting to Islam in a TN village set the stage for Ram Rath YatraHow Rajiv Gandhi fell for bad advice to open Babri Masjid locks in 1986