Composer Ilaiyaraaja, athlete P T Usha among four nominated to Rajya Sabha

The move is seen as a political outreach by the ruling BJP to enhance its presence in the southern region

Four eminent persons – Veerandra Heggade, P T Usha, Ilaiyaraja and K V Vijayendra Prasad – from four south Indian states were on Thursday chosen as Rajya Sabha nominated MPs by the Narendra Modi government. The move is seen as a political outreach by the ruling BJP to enhance its presence in the region which has not been too enthusiastic about it except for Karnataka.

The choice of philanthropist and administrator of the Dharmasthala temple Heggade from Karnataka, Olympian Usha from Kerala, renowned music director Ilaiyaraja from Tamil Nadu and film personality Prasad, also father of filmmaker S S Rajamouli, came even as there were seven vacancies of nominated members. Now, there are three vacancies.

The announcements about the nominated MPs were made by Prime Minister Modi on Twitter. Sources claimed that the choice of nominated MPs reflected the Modi government’s endeavour to provide representation to the underprivileged, as the new MPs included a woman, a Dalit and a minority community member (Jain).

In its National Executive held in Hyderabad earlier this month, the ruling BJP had made it clear that it has set its eyes on the south, especially in Telangana, and it wanted to expand in the south. At present, the BJP has not much presence in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala while it runs a government in Karnataka.

Sources said the choice of Heggade, a BJP sympathiser from the Jain community who is highly respected and influential especially in coastal Karnataka region, comes at a time when Karnataka is heading for Assembly election within a year. Heggade’s Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, has more than six lakh Self Help Groups and over 49 lakh members.

There has been a buzz about Ilaiyaraja, a Dalit, becoming a Rajya Sabha MP in the past couple of months after the music maestro likened Modi to B R Ambedkar. With this, the BJP hopes to reach out to Tamil voters. Their earlier attempts to rope in Rajanikanth did not succeed.

Usha’s nomination comes as actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi’s tenure ended as nominated MP.

Modi said Heggade is at the forefront of “outstanding community service” and that he had the opportunity to pray at the Dharmasthala Temple and also witness the great work he is doing in health, education and culture.

The Prime Minister called Ilaiyaraja as a “creative genius” who enthralled generations and his works “beautifully reflect many emotions”. “What is equally inspiring is his life journey -- he rose from a humble background and achieved so much. Glad that he has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha,” Modi tweeted.

On Usha, he said, the “remarkable” athlete is an “inspiration” for every Indian. Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years, he said.

Modi said Prasad, who was associated with films like RRR, Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijan, is associated with the creative world for decades. “His works showcase India's glorious culture and have made a mark globally,” he said.