Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region G. Kishan Reddy faces twin challenges this Lok Sabha election. While on one hand he has to retain his own constituency of Secunderabad, on the other hand he has to marshal his cadre to exceed the party’s 2019 record by winning more than four Lok Sabha constituencies. In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, he talks about the party’s prospects with just a few weeks to go for the elections.
There is a positive and favourable disposition towards Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. There is no Congress Party wave now. During the Assembly elections itself, many voters told us frankly that they would support us in the Lok Sabha polls during our door-to-door campaign. This is not a new development. It was apparent in 2018 too when we won just one MLA seat, lost deposits in Assembly segments but won four MPs in the 2019 Parliament elections.
BRS leaders are reluctant to contest the elections, and are even avoiding phone calls from KCR. BRS candidates are going to lose their deposits barring one or two places. We are sure to benefit from the party’s slide, though I cannot say how much of its vote share will go to the Congress Party. It is either the BJP or Congress in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions in a majority of constituencies. That is very clear now.
People consider Mr. Modi to be the best bet for various reasons, such as the BJP government’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure development, welfare schemes, support to agriculture, Ram Temple, etc. The country’s image in the world was enhanced. Social media has played a big role in villages by connecting the youth to the world. The BJP will also benefit from the autocratic and corrupt rule of the BRS, and the failure of the Congress governments to deliver on their promises in Karnataka and Telangana.
It is a political strategy to increase your electoral chances. Every party does it, including the Congress. We have a 15% vote share which we can increase by having candidates with a good social standing. We are all middle-class leaders and cannot keep up with the level of spending that KCR is doing. In the last election, individual leaders with strong credentials withstood the BRS surge and came out successful, such as Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in Malkajgiri, and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy in Nalgonda. But, there is no rule that only outsiders will get chances as old-timers are being chosen for nominated posts and Governors.
Everywhere, people are complaining about sewerage, drinking water and roads. There is unregulated growth leading to civic issues. We have to find a solution to these issues by rising above party lines, as urbanisation is sure to increase. There have been no complaints about any ‘price rise’. Yes, unemployment is a concern, which we plan to overcome by revamping the skilling ministry and focusing on infrastructure development. I honestly feel there is no dearth of jobs for hardworking youth.
I have never asked for nor refused any post. I have delivered on whatever responsibility I have been given. That has been my principle. It is a challenging time as I have to meet candidates coming to meet me late in the night, strategise with different groups in the districts, tour constituencies, and also campaign in Secunderabad. I have already presented my progress report before the people where we showed our achievements in areas we did not make any prior promises, such as development of railways, regional ring road, etc..
