BJP is going into its National Executive in Hyderabad, with a very aggressive stance against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with elections due in the state in 2023.
From a road show for BJP president J P Nadda and hoardings welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Nadda and other senior ministers at the Centre and leaders of the BJP competing cheek by jowl with those of chief minister K Chandrashekhara Rao and TRS leaders to an exhibition at the convention centre where the meet is to be held that highlights the role of the party in the creation of the state of Telangana, the theme of the meet is focused on the state.
The party also launched a countdown clock to the next polls, a period of time that it said marked the time till the exit of the TRS government, quite in the manner that the YSRCP did in the run up to the 2019 Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. “522 days are left for the corrupt, dynastic KCR government in Telangana. Then people of this state will say ‘bye bye KCR’ and welcome the BJP,” said party general secretary Tarun Chugh addressing a press meet before the executive.
Preceding the two day national executive in the state, senior leaders of the party had been fanned out to all 119 Assembly seats in the state for a period of two days to get feedback and boost the morale of the party cadre.
The event itself will start on Saturday evening, around 4pm with an address by party president J P Nadda, and will conclude on Sunday evening around 4 pm again with an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will subsequently address a public rally after 5pm in the city. Mr Chugh said workers from over 35,000 booths across the state are going to attend the rally by Prime Minister Modi.
At the venue of the meet, the party has put up an elaborate exhibition of the BJP’s engagement with the demand for a separate state of Telangana. A framed picture of the Kakinada resolution, where in 1997, a BJP state executive meet had supported the creation of Telangana and plaques talking about the nearly 1200 who, the party says, lost their lives in the movement for the creation of the state are part of the exhibition. Details of yatras and ABVP led “ranbheri” at the Nizam grounds in 2010 which late Sushma Swaraj had addressed the crowd are also part of the exhibition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, a few months ago, addressed a massive public rally in the state squarely taking on the KCR government and the TRS party and singled out “dynastic” and “family ruled” parties in a direct attack. The TRS has also of late signalled very strongly that it wants to reach out at the national level to like minded parties to mount a challenge to the BJP.
