The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Telangana is in a state of disarray. The celebrations to mark nine years of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre have turned sour with infighting in the rank and file.
The two warring groups are led by State party president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and recent entrant to the BJP, Eatala Rajender. The BJP central leadership has been unable to bring about any rapprochement between the two leaders despite several rounds of talks.
Mr. Sanjay Kumar has been the poster boy of the Opposition party in Telangana. He has been relentlessly campaigning against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)-led government by highlighting its various acts of omission and commission and has particularly been targeting Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. But unhappiness against him in the State BJP runs deep with many accusing him of one-upmanship and constant self-projection. His padayatra, an outreach programme which was to cover all the districts in the State, ended unexpectedly after the fifth phase allegedly following complaints from party persons.
The dissidents are led by Mr. Rajender. The former Minister in the BRS government, who is now a BJP MLA, has been lobbying with the BJP central leadership — more specifically Home Minister Amit Shah — about the need for a more “effective campaign” against Mr. Rao’s government. He has argued that this can done only by changing the State leadership. A group of newcomers in the State BJP — some of whom have had a fallout with Mr. Rao — have lent him support. They contend that Mr. Sanjay Kumar’s Hindutva messaging will fail in Telangana, just as it did in Karnataka. They argue that the party must focus more on the rule of Mr. Rao’s family, the alleged corruption in the government, and the failure of the BRS to implement poll promises such as providing free two-bedroom housing for the poor, filling up of an estimated 1.5 lakh vacancies in the government and giving loan waivers to farmers. They believe that a focus on regional issues rather than Hindutva would stand the party in good stead, especially since elections are scheduled to be held at the end of this year.
Those supporting Mr. Sanjay Kumar point out that Mr. Rajender was not able to lure the “30-40 MLAs” from other parties, including the BRS and the Congress, once he was made chairman of the ‘joining committee.’ They say he has also failed to “expose” the “scandals” of the Rao government, as he had promised to do when he joined the party.
Party veterans, mostly from the Sangh Parivar, are also deeply unhappy. They believe that they have been ignored by the party and are being upstaged by newcomers who are being rewarded with posts and the power to make crucial decisions. Some of these leaders are taking sides aligning with their castes. The veterans don’t trust the newcomers to be loyal when the chips are down. “The party cadre is demoralised. There are more claimants to the Chief Minister’s post than those who wish to strengthen the party,” said a senior leader.
The infighting within the party, which has been simmering for a while, has become more intense after the Congress’s victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections. Two former BRS leaders changed their minds following the Karnataka elections and refused to join the BJP. The central leadership, which is now worried that leaders will abandon ship, is said to be considering handing over the party reins or top posts such as the campaign in-charge to Mr. Rajender.
Both the groups have been having parleys with their supporters in the last few days in an effort to convince the central leadership of their respective strengths. Mr. Rajender visited Assam to meet Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to present his case and another group of newcomers into the party assembled at the house of former MP A.P. Jitender Reddy in light of the central leadership’s move to assign Mr. Rajender an important post.
It is believed that Mr. Shah, who is scheduled to arrive in Telangana for the proposed public meeting at Khammam on June 15, will bring in some order and prevent an implosion. While asking Mr. Sanjay Kumar, who wears his ideology on his sleeve, to step down could be a risk, Mr. Rajender, who belongs to a backward class, is an important addition to the BJP’s ranks and could help the party plan its campaign differently in yet another challenging southern State.
