BJP to keep off TRS, grow in Telangana; Congress, TD fates to dwindle

Hyderabad: The TS BJP has taken a decision against having any truck with the TRS in an attempt to emerge as the political alternative in the state, with the fortunes of the Congress and the TD dwindling.

Any move to get closer to the TRS could indirectly result in reviving the Congress, This explanation of the state BJP has resonated with the top brass in New Delhi which has given state party president Dr K. Laxman a free hand.

The BJP national leadership does not want to give any chance to the Congress which it sees as the only party that could oppose it at the national level in 2019.

“I am touring the districts after assuming charge. Our main objective is to strengthen the party from the grass root level. Come 2019, the anti-incumbency factor will be crucial and we want to gain the confidence of the public by that time. Also, with the graph of the Congress and TD dipping rapidly, people are looking to the BJP,” he said.

Congress and and TD leaders too were looking to the BJP to further their careers. “The BJP will witness a joining spree by the time of the elections,” he said. The BJP will be appointing incharges for all Assembly seats three years before the elections. The intention is to give the leaders time to cover the constituency and develop contacts.

The party is also learnt to have directed all state leaders to visit the districts regularly instead of confining themselves to the city.

Rijiju: Funds not reaching people
Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said that in non-BJP ruled states like Telangana, the benefits extended by the Centre were not reaching the people.

The minister appealed to the people to raise their voice if the state government failed to deliver or was unable to spend the funds granted by the Centre. He took a dig at the TRS for its “family rule” and said the BJP would emerge as the alternative force in the state in the 2019 general elections.

He said that non-BJP ruled states must ensure that people reap benefits of the schemes launched by the Centre. Mr Rijiju participated in a programme organised by the TS BJP unit to observe the 41th anniversary of Emergency that was imposed on June 25, 1975.

He said the Congress was still suffering from an “Emergency mindset” even though 41 years had passed since the imposition of Emergency in India by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He said that June 26 must be observed as Anti-Emergency Day every year, adding that the BJP was opposed to any concentration of power as that led to dictatorship.

“Constitutional provisions speak about a federal structure and we believe in cooperative federalism. We do not want to encroach upon the rights of the state government and we will not encroach on the jurisdiction of the state government. We would like to appeal that the good work done by the Centre reaches the people,” the minister said.