Hyderabad: Noted economist and political analyst Mohan Guruswamy opined that the BJP has to perform well in Telangana to get to at least 260 or 270 seats in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Projections of a 400 seats haul are just hogwash, he contended.
He made these observations while moderating a discussion on ‘Battleground Telangana’ at the Guruswamy Center in Secunderabad on Saturday.
“The BJP’s strength comes from the northern states where they had a 95 per cent strike rate. All indications are that they are going to drop seats in those states. To compensate for even a ten per cent fall there they have to win more seats in the Telugu states, which is evidenced by the big southern push by Narendra Modi. The Congress is not playing its cards right and could lose a few because of the choice of its candidates. A BRS MLA is now its MP candidate and he not even resigned from the BRS,” he said.
According to surveys 62 per cent of the people are saying unemployment is the biggest problem. Congress is not talking about it and it should focus on education and healthcare instead of harping on corruption. Can graft be an issue when people are demanding money to vote, he wondered.
Academic Prof. Padmaja Shaw lamented that what parties speak and practice are different. Winning prospects and political considerations take precedence over people’s issues, she said. Of the 970 million that are going to vote this time, 30 million votes of Muslims and another 30 million dalit votes are missing. Many civil society groups are trying to get them into the electoral fray by helping them register.
“It has been observed that the role of money was neutralized during the Assembly polls. BRS with all the resources could not defeat the Congress, which got an anti-incumbency vote rather than a pro-Congress mandate. Voters are aware of what is happening. They could see how youth are being lured with liquor,: she said.
“The battle is between the system and people. The issues of the people as reflected in the CSDS surveys are not being reflected in the campaigns. The standard of living of people did not come into the picture. BRS does not have a narrative now while the Congress is saying they will implement six guarantees and the BJP is projecting Modi as a guarantee. But all of them are forgetting the constitutional mandate they are bound by,” said Dileep Reddy, director, People’s Pulse.
The party, which claims uniform civil code is a part of directive principles of state policy, forgets that bridging economic disparity is also part of it, he said.
Veteran journalist Somasekhar Mulugu recalled the pivotal role the Telugu states had played over the years and said they are poised to play that role again. Congress bagging more seats will catapult the state into that position and if BJP wins more seats that will open the gates for it in the south.
