Union minister and state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy said people of Telangana are in deeksha and are looking towards getting rid of the BRS. I visited the temples after a gap from the hectic election schedule and had a darshan of the Gods.
Interacting with the media, he said, “The BRS is fighting polls on the strength of money and people should be wary about this. They should vote for the candidate and the party which is good and not succumb to the lure of liquor and money.”
Responding to the high cost of elections, Kishan Reddy said, “I am seeing such huge expenditure in the polls for the first time. I have been in the electoral fray five times earlier but have never resorted to giving money during polls. But after KCR became CM for the second time the electoral expenses have hiked. Even bypolls like Huzurabad and Munugode only exacerbated that trend. This created an atmosphere that polls are going to be fought based only on money power. This is affecting the future of this State as it is dissuading people who want to serve the people.”
Crores are being spent for just filing nominations. KCR had earlier said that if his leadership is accepted he will fund the polling expenses of all parties against PM Narendra Modi. This explains what he thinks of the electoral process, he said.
On the BRS leader’s comments about polls becoming costly as the Congress is bringing money from Karnataka and the BJP from northern states, he said, “Around Rs 100 crores are being spent on polls in each constituency. I have seen many State polls but nowhere do we see such expenditure in polls. Leaders want to win the polls at any cost. Any party which fights polls by enticing people will take the State on the wrong path,” and added that the party is raising complaints on the Vigil app about poll code violations like distributing money.
Denying any additional pressure on the BJP leadership after losing its sole bastion in Karnataka he explained, “We are working with dedication as always. Our vote share in Karnataka was intact but lost owing to JD (S) losing its vote share. But the situation has changed in Karnataka also now and if elections are held we will win hands down. Their guarantees have failed. They are unable to provide power even if people want to pay. That’s why we will win.”
On the BJP manifesto steering clear of freebies compared to their opposition parties he opined the party believes in giving proper infrastructure and providing health, education, homes, national highways, electricity, trains, and ensuring security of the nation. “We will give employment to the youth and give productivity-linked incentives. Any freebies, concessions and higher prices for farmers are all linked to improving productivity. Giving money as doles will not help the people. Parties are being irresponsible on that score.”
There is an undercurrent of support for the party now, he said. On what challenges he encountered as president, he said, “When I became president there was not much time. This posed challenges. When I became leader earlier there were many senior leaders and we worked as a team. Many important leaders passed away. Leaders like Venkaiah Naidu, Hari Babu were there and I received help from them. But despite challenges with the help received from the State and national leaders we worked well.”
The polls which are happening now are different as power is being misused and political allegations are being made without basis. We are blamed by saying there is an understanding between BJP, BRS and AIMIM. Though there is not even an iota of truth in this it is repeated daily by the likes of Rahul Gandhi. We state things only when there is a basis for it. When I say BRS and Congress are together I give proof that KCR was with the Congress party earlier. BRS legislators had joined the Congress party in united state and after KCR became CM Congress MLAs joined the BRS after being elected. Their DNA is the same.
They all came from the Congress party. They indulge in personal attacks, make false allegations and try to affect the image of opponents, Kishan Reddy said.
The BJP leaders are pinning their hopes on getting more seats in North Telangana and the twin cities.
