HYDERABAD
The scathing attack by Prime Minister Narendra Modi without actually naming K. Chandrasekhar Rao or his party in his rousing speech to his party men at the Begumpet airport is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s planned strategy to keep up the offensive against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Seeing a potential of striking it rich in the next Assembly elections in Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership hopes to continue the narrative against the ruling TRS and its leaders till 2023.
This is also taking forward the just-concluded second leg of “successful” ‘Praja Sangram Yatra’ by State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the saffron party will form the next government in Telangana, remarked leaders.
In fact, BJP leaders are disappointed that their crowd mobilisation could not match the strong speech by Mr. Modi. Party leaders maintain that the Prime Minister’s pointed reference to dynastic rule, alleged corruption of the government, attack on BJP workers and non-accessibility of those in power to common man went down well with the cadre.
The indirect reference to leaders working in hot sun and taking the battle into the TRS hometurf, leaders feel, was hinting at Mr. Bandi Sanjay’s walkathon.
Party sources claim that the top leadership is confident of doing well in the next elections as they feel “anti-incumbency has set in Telangana and it is the right opportunity to leverage the situation in its favour”. Apparently, they wish to go along with the leadership of Mr. Sanjay Kumar till the next elections.
The day saw some interesting politics being played out in the capital. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao chose to fly in a special aircraft from the Begumpet airport an hour before Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Bengaluru to meet former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and his son H. D. Kumaraswamy.
Interestingly, Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr. Kumaraswamy addressed a joint press conference after their luncheon meeting in Bengaluru but refrained from reacting to any of the remarks made by Mr. Modi. It was left to the TRS Ministers to launch a counter-attack on the Prime Minister and the BJP.
