New Delhi: The Modi government on Wednesday nominated four celebrities from the south—athlete P T Usha (Kerala), legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja (Tamil Nadu), writer-director K V Vijayendra Prasad, the script writer of mega hits ‘Baahubali’ and ‘RRR’ (Andhra Pradesh/Telangana), and Jain priest Veerendra Heggade from Karnataka—to the Rajya Sabha.

The choice for the coveted Upper House berths was also seen as a friendly signal to the region across the Vindhyas.

BJP, keen to expand its influence in the south, just held the meeting of its national executive in Hyderabad—a move seen to supplement its vigorous campaign to challenge Telangana CM K C Rao.

Coming after the choice of a tribal woman, Droupadi Murmu, as the NDA nominee for the Presidential polls, which appears to have generated excitement among the Scheduled Tribes in central and eastern India, the naming of four celebrities from four south Indian states for the RS was seen as yet another instance of the Modi government making use of selections and nominations to send out political messages.

“RS nominations show yet another instance of the Modi government recognizing outstanding Indians who have made a mark in diverse fields. The choice of personalities with illustrious careers in their respective fields and having achieved national and global recognition for their contributions is in keeping with the spirit of the scheme to recognise excellence by nominating them to the Upper House,” government sources said.

“These nominees have given back to society at every instance — if one of them has groomed athletes, the other has mentored creative geniuses, another has nurtured cinematic talent and the fourth has done community service,” the sources said.

“The remarkable PT Usha Ji 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,” the PM tweeted.

He also lavished praise on Ilaiyaraaja, saying his creative genius has enthralled people across generations. “His works beautifully reflect many emotions. What is equally inspiring is his life journey — he rose from a humble background and achieved so much,” Modi said.

On Heggade’s contributions, the PM said, “I have had the opportunity to pray at the Dharmasthala Temple and was also witness to the great work he is doing in health, education and culture. He will certainly enrich parliamentary proceedings.”

Modi said K V Vijayendra Prasad has been associated with the “creative world for decades and his works showcase India’s glorious culture and have made a mark globally”. Prasad, a formidable name in Telugu cinema, is father of S S Rajamouli — the maker of hits ‘Baahubali’ and ‘RRR’. Prasad wrote the script of both films.