Why is BJP the most successful political party in the country? Well, there is a simple explanation. The BJP never loses track of ground reality even if it has won back-to-back elections. It keeps looking to make inroads in newer states. Take the case of Telangana. The state is bound to go to polls. The BJP has won four Assembly elections only recently. You would think that the BJP would be relaxed. However, the party leadership is now focusing on the mistakes it made during the Punjab and Bengal elections, in order to ensure that it avoids repeating the same mistakes.
BJP’s Telangana campaign picks steam
The BJP has announced that it will join the ongoing political row in the state over the procurement of rice.
The TRS has already launched a campaign against the BJP. The TRS, which is presently the ruling party in Telangana, has been demanding that the BJP should procure rice from the state without imposing any conditions and that it should also procure para-boiled rice in the interest of farmers.
In order to counter the TRS, the BJP will launch ‘ryth sadassulu (farmers’ conclaves) at Nani Gardens, Warangal, on April 7, at Siva Naresh Function Hall, Karimnagar, on April 8, and at Mahbubnagar on April 9.
BJP sources told The Hans India that the main objective of the campaign is to counter the TRS narrative against the Centre over not procuring paddy.
What is the BJP’s plan?
As per The Hans India report, BJP sources said that party leaders will explain Centre’s stand to the farmers. They will also talk about the state government failing to contribute the quantum of promised rice to the national pool.
As per The Hans India, sources also claimed that the issue of para boiled rice is related to rice millers and not farmers. The Hans India quoted the sources as saying, “The programme is to expose the vested interests of the TRS party stoking emotions among farmers against the Centre for the benefit of the rice millers’ lobby, predominantly concentrated only in three districts of Telangana”.
Once bitten, twice shy
BJP’s latest campaign is based on its past experience. Before the Bengal polls, a narrative came up against the Centre owing to the farmers’ protesters.
The BJP has emerged as the main opposition party in Bengal. However, the party leadership seems to have failed to counter the narrative created by the farmers’ protests.
And the case with Punjab is not very different. True, the BJP traditionally doesn’t have a strong presence in the North Indian state. However, the party could have done better when it came to countering the farmer narrative in the state ahead of the elections.
So, when it comes to Telangana, the BJP is simply not taking any chances. It is trying to set the record straight instead of ending up in a position where there is an apparent lack of communication between the Centre and the state’s farmers.
Read more: G Kishan Reddy- Telangana’s model MLA who is contesting for his fourth term
Consolidating local leadership
And finally, the BJP is also ensuring that it is able to build strong local leadership and consolidate its position at the grassroots level.
The BJP had emerged as the main challenger in Bengal too. And this was because of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity, as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s strategy-making skills. However, what the BJP lacked was a local face or multiple local leaders who could connect to the local people and assure them of an efficient government.
In Telangana too, the BJP is the main challenger. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has been taking digs at the BJP with statements like calling upon the people to throw the BJP government at the Centre into the Bay of Bengal. So, it is clear that the TRS too considers the BJP to be the main challenger.
Read more: KCR has a reason to worry now. Amit Shah has turned his gaze towards Telangana
Again, it is Prime Minister Modi’s popularity and Home Minister Amit Shah’s strategy that the BJP would be banking upon. However, the party also has comparatively better local leadership in the state with some big names like Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, state party president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and BJP national vice president D.K. Aruna.