SNCN ACHARYULU
Hyderabad
The BRS leadership thought that the sensational attempt to poach its MLAs allegedly by the BJP would prove advantageous for it and that it could use it to expose the BJP at the national level. But the incident has proved advantageous to the Congress instead of the BRS.
Now, the Congress is attacking the BRS leadership using the poaching incident. The BRS leadership thought this incident can be used to criticise the BJP leadership but the BRS leadership is facing the same criticism from the Congress.
After the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections, the BRS leadership bagged Congress MLAs through its ‘Operation Aakarsh.’
In the 2014 Assembly elections, the Congress won 21 seats and in the 2018 Assembly elections, it won 19 seats in Telangana. But after both the Assembly elections most Congress MLAs joined the TRS. Initially, the Congress fought against this but later it was ignored.
When the attempt to poach BRS MLAs occurred, the BRS leadership started to criticise the BJP leadership. The Congress which was silent these days suddenly woke up and started to criticise the BRS leadership for poaching their MLAs after the 2014 and 2018 Assembly elections.
While the BRS leadership thought that it can use the incident to score political brownie points against the BJP, the Congress decided to use the incident to attack the BRS leadership. The Congress also filed a complaint at the Moinabad Police Station against 12 of its MLAs who had joined the TRS.
After the 2014 Assembly elections, 12 TDP MLAs defected to the TRS. But the TDP leadership is not in a position to attack the BRS politically as the TDP did the same in Andhra Pradesh by admitting 23 YSR Congress MLAs.
The lone CPI MLA also joined the TRS after the 2014 Assembly elections. The CPI leaders strongly criticised the TRS for encouraging defections. Interestingly, the same CPI is now friendly with the BRS.
After the 2014 Assembly elections, the MLAs of the Congress, the TDP, the CPI, the BSP and the YSR Congress defected to the BRS. After the 2018 Assembly elections also, the MLAs of the Congress and the TDP defected to the BRS.
