NAVEENA GHANATE
Hyderabad
The BRS is recognising the BJP as its opposition once again. In the last few months, the BRS attacks on the BJP had come down but since a week they have increased it.
First, the BRS government tried to stop G. Kishan Reddy’s unemployment 24-hour hunger strike despite having permission. Secondly, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao attacked Prime Minister Modi for delaying Telangana’s Krishna water share during the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation scheme’s inauguration.
For almost three months, the CM didn’t criticise Modi or the BJP in any of his speeches. This was followed by Industries Minister KT Rama Rao raising his voice against the movie ‘Razakar.’ BRS MLC Kavitha called the ED notice in the liquor scam as the ‘Modi notice.’
Interestingly, the BRS ally AIMIM also targeted the BJP and on Monday its leader Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Bandi got punctured” in a reference to Bandi Sanjay.
Sources in the BRS indicated that they are aware of the Congress gaining strength. At the state level, the BRS is intensifying its attack on the BJP while at the Centre they welcomed the Women’s Reservation Bill.
When it comes to welfare schemes attacking the Congress is difficult as their focus is on rural Telangana. In fact, even Rahul Gandhi warned at the Vijaya Bheri meeting that wherever the Congress is gaining, the BJP strategically deploys the AIMIM and here the BRS to reduce its strength.
BRS sources agreed that the congress is gaining strength and when the opposition is divided the ruling party gets the upper hand.
Sources in the BRS said that their opponents are both the BJP and the Congress. “It is n issue based. We raised our voice against the ‘Razakar’ movie. In Mahbubnagar, our opposition is the BJP. In Nalgonda or Khammam it is the Congress,” BRS sources said.
