Telangana's BJP youth turn crisis into opportunity, stay in trekking tents in tandas

Hyderabad: They were been denied a decent place to stay but several youth belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party converted this into an opportunity to take the party’s message to the rural masses, in particular the tribal areas, in Nagarjunasagar which is going for a bypoll on April 17.

As all hotels and resorts were booked by Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders, and locals who offered to accommodate the BJP workers were allegedly threatened by ruling party activists, they came up with what definitely is a unique trend in poll campaigning — staying put in trekking tents in tandas (tribal hamlets) each night, interacting with the inhabitants, understanding their problems and propagating the BJP’s development mantra before moving on to the next tanda the next morning.

"This gave us a great opportunity to develop a bond with the locals," said BJP leader P.M. Sai Prasad, who earlier served as national vice-president of party youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. “We are cooking our food and sometimes the locals are sharing their food with us," he said.”

The youth teams under Sai Prasad have been vigorously campaigning for party candidate Dr P. Ravi Kumar for the last six days, putting aside the difficulties cause by lack of a proper place to sleep or even relieve themselves.

“Of course, we are trained to face harsh conditions since our Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJYM days,” Prasad pointed out.

The BJP workers toured several habitations including Seethal tanda, Dokkalavai tanda and Rajavaram and explained to the voters the need to support a strong political force alternative to the TRS and Congress.

They are carrying mosquito creams, torch lights and other paraphernalia to equip themselves to face the onslaught and gaining strength and resolve from patriotic songs and chants like ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai”.