A senior BJP functionary who rose through the RSS ranks also found fault with the foul language employed by Sanjay against his rivals on an almost regular basis.
Published May 13, 2026 | 5:47 PM ⚊ Updated May 13, 2026 | 5:47 PM
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Some BJP leaders felt that Sanjay should have asked his son to appear before the investigating team in accordance with the notice issued to him.
Synopsis: None of the Telangana BJP’s seven MPs (sans Sanjay) or seven MLAs uttered a word in his support. Some of them even watched in glee as he dug himself into a deeper hole, while others worried about the short and long-term impact on the BJP at a time when the party is seeking to rejuvenate itself. In fact, leaders Sanjay spoke to told him this was an issue on which none of them could offer support and that he would have to fend for himself.
Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar is reportedly unhappy—livid, in fact—that his colleagues in the Telangana BJP unit have not come to his defence after he was caught up in the controversy involving his son, who was booked under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor.
None of the party’s seven MPs (sans Sanjay) or seven MLAs uttered a word in his support. Some of them even watched in glee as he dug himself into a deeper hole, while others worried about the short and long-term impact on the BJP at a time when the party is seeking to rejuvenate itself.
According to sources, leaders Sanjay spoke to told him this was an issue on which none of them could offer support and that he would have to fend for himself. “This is not a political or ideological issue on which the party could stand by him,” one of them said.
In fact, some of them were unhappy with BJP state unit president Ramachandra Rao’s remarks that neither Sanjay nor the party should be blamed for his son’s conduct. “He should have simply said the law would take its course,” they added.
Sai Bageerath, Sanjay’s son, was initially booked under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act on 8 May following a complaint from the mother of a minor alleging that he sexually assaulted her daughter after luring her with a false promise of marriage.
After recording additional statements from the survivor on 12 May, the police altered the case to the more stringent Sections 5 and 6, which could result in imprisonment for up to 20 years.
“Sanjay has virtually made it a fait accompli. Who can save him when he wants to hang himself?” – a senior BJP leader.
Also Read: Practise the virtues of Lord Rama that you often preach, Mr Bandi Sanjay
Sanjay’s response leaves saffron camp uneasy
Seniors in the BJP are now beginning to worry about two aspects:
(One) Why is Sanjay constantly making statements about the case when his position demands that he remain neutral? In doing so, he is giving the prosecution and the court sufficient ground to argue that he could potentially influence the investigation in his capacity as Union Minister. What such a stance by the police or courts could mean for Sanjay is not difficult to guess.
(Two) Since the day the episode came to light, Sanjay’s response has been one of self-inflicted damage, so much so that he has pushed the top leadership into a situation where protecting him is becoming more difficult by the day.
“Sanjay has virtually made it a fait accompli. Who can save him when he wants to hang himself?” a senior BJP leader remarked.
Some within the Saffron party are also not amused by Sanjay’s repeated assertions that the entire issue has been “created” by rivals within and outside the party to destroy him politically.
“When both sides, the boy and the girl, admitted to having had a relationship, where is the question of anyone manufacturing a case? And what is there to refute or dismiss as baseless when the police, after examining all records, filed the case under the POCSO Act?” one leader said.
A senior BJP functionary who rose through the RSS ranks also found fault with the foul language employed by Sanjay against his rivals on an almost regular basis.
“This is not the culture that the Sangh ever encourages. In fact, it is unacceptable to the Sangh,” he said.
Also Read: Posters across Telangana seek absconding Bandi Sai Bhageerath, accused in POCSO case
No-show before police and the social media spin
Some BJP leaders also felt that Sanjay should have asked his son to appear before the investigating team on Wednesday in accordance with the notice issued to him.
“Why and where is he hiding when he is innocent, as some seem to claim? In any case, the least the courts would do is ask him to appear before the police and cooperate with the investigation. Why wait till such a directive comes?” they asked.
On the contrary, even on Wednesday, 13 May, social media was flooded with posts put out by followers of Sanjay—including, sadly, some journalists—claiming that the survivor has two birth certificates: one showing her year of birth as August 2008 and the other as August 2010.
They claimed the discrepancy would come up before the High Court on Thursday when it hears Sai Bageerath’s anticipatory bail application.
That the survivor is still a minor in either case is something even these supposed journalists do not seem to comprehend. In any case, it is not for the courts to establish the survivor’s age. The police have already done that.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
