HYDERABAD: There is a slow brewing of discontent and dissent in the Bandi Sanjay-led Telangana state BJP unit, which is finding a stronger and more intense expression after the Karnataka Assembly elections results threw up a setback for the saffron party.
While a simmering divide has been lurking and growing in the state BJP unit, especially along the faultline of old-timers versus newcomers, which is read often as hardcore Hindutva supporters as opposed to professional politicians looking for quick success and rise in a rapidly growing party, it is now reaching a tipping point.
The focal point of the dissent has been the thorny issue of leadership, with most sources in the BJP saying that in Telangana, or any other state, “outsiders” have no chance to take the top position, notwithstanding the outlier case of Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma, who too waited one full term after the party came to power before being anointed.
In his urgently called meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, Huzurabad MLA Etala Rajendar reportedly said things were not hunky dory with the state BJP unit, its cadre strength was not growing and the party was not endearing itself enough to the people to push for a win against the BRS in the elections due at the year-end.
In his six-point charter purportedly presented, Rajendar informed the BJP high command that south India was not ripe for a Hindutva-led reach out and campaign, that secularism and harmony, along with peace were paramount concerns for citizens and voters, thereby ruling out such issues as changing name of Hyderabad, or Muslim quota, or hijab, et al.
Rajendar also reportedly, according to sources, told Shah that the party had to provide a strong thrust to economic and bread-butter issues, especially welfare schemes, that a strong state leadership face based on administrative and political efficiency and ministerial experience were key to convincing people, besides a very strong OBC empowerment push as the key issues of the party.
The BJP faces a peculiarly thorny dilemma wherein the high command wants to win Telangana, but if it insists on its own terms which do not feel relevant to people, or without empowering outsiders and newcomers, it would be found wanting in the battle for a majority of the 119 Assembly seats in November or December when elections take place.
“No newcomer is joining the BJP. We are not growing. We don’t have candidates in most constituencies,” said a state BJP leader, who said that unless the party senior leadership heeded the growing chorus for internal change, many leaders may leave the party.
Ironically, the big beneficiary of this turn of tide would be the Congress, which would be happy to welcome both the currently unattached leaders Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Juppally Krishna Rao, but also those from the BJP dissent group.
“Everyone who is attached to the values of Congress and is committed to opposing the misrule of BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his family and wishes to accomplish the people’s dreams and goals of the separate statehood agitation, which still remain unfulfilled, is welcome to our party,” said a senior state Congress leader.
The old-timers are not amused by the dissent. They acknowledge it but say that while it would be damaging for the party, the dissenters would also lose face and credibility.
“They will get exposed as opportunists who keep jumping from one party to another for power. They can’t expect plum party positions without having served it,” said a Sangh-associated BJP leader. “A new party is not viable and the Congress will not even welcome them.”
Several BRS leaders, when approached, refused to react to the issue, saying neither of the Opposition parties has any popularity to challenge the BRS. “We will win over 100 seats again,” said a senior leader.
