HYDERABAD: Cancellation of the BJP’s ‘maha dharna’ at Indira Park on Monday to demand the distribution of two-bedroom houses set off alarm bells among party leaders, who are worried that repeated cancellations of party programmes were creating a perception that the BJP was not serious about taking on the BRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Monday’s programme was cancelled following a whip from the party leadership to all its MPs to be present in Parliament for the passage of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and for the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government scheduled from Tuesday.
The calling off of the event was received with some concern by party leaders, who were worried that repeated cancellations of major programmes of the party, be it Union home minister Amit Shah’s visits to the state or the second instance of putting off the ‘maha dharna’, were resulting in questions on just how serious the party is about coming to power in Telangana.
Some party leaders were concerned that although the BJP had been talking about a 100-day programme to take on the state government and expose its failures to the public, the interest shown in taking up programmes mandated by the central leadership was not evident at the state level.
“There has been no word on setting up of important committees, be it the ‘chargesheet’ or the manifesto committees, and several other committees that the party announced it will put in place. We are running out of time and if we do not get our act together quickly, then it might be too late for us to do anything,” a senior party leader said.
A second BJP leader said: “Party programmes should not be given up or postponed because a few are not available to take part. We understand that the state president is not there, but there are several other senior leaders in the BJP who can lead such protests. By putting off the protest, because MPs from the state are not available, we are afraid the message people are getting is that the BJP is not serious about taking on the Chandrashekar Rao’s government.”
BJP state general secretary G. Premender Reddy, however, said Monday’s protest was put off as it was a state-level event, and the presence of the BJP state president and the party MPs was required. The party, meanwhile, is going ahead with its district-level protests on the issue of two-bedroom houses, with one planned in Medak on August 10, he said.
The focus of the state BJP, at least for now, appears to be following instructions from its national leadership on programmes such as ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ or ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’, and not those that can create at least some discomfort to the BRS.
State and district level committees have been set up for the ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ programme called for by Modi, followed by a preparatory meeting on how to go about it, from collecting soil from every village to setting up plaques in ‘Amrit Vatikas’ with the names of martyrs, along with the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ programme to mark the 75th Independence Day of the country on August 15.
