BRS mum on national issues n Has alternative agenda taken a back seat?
NAVEENA GHANATE
Hyderabad
It has been nearly a year since the Telangana Rashtra Samiti renamed itself as the Bharat Rashtra Samiti and was repositioned as a national party. The TRS adopted a resolution on 5 October 2022 for renaming itself as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. For all the talk around evolving into a national party, BRS has maintained studied silence on key national issues.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has been setting the agenda, starting from Special Parliament sessions, One Nation-One Election, Sanatana Dharma, and India to Bharat. Neither Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao nor BRS working president K T Rama Rao, or for that matter any of the Ministers, has issued any statements on this. Despite provocations from the BJP and the Congress to declare its stance on various issues, the BRS has maintained silence.
Political analysts see that BJP continues to set the agenda. Amid the rivalry between INDIA bloc parties and the BJP, the whole idea of “alternative agenda” championed by KCR has taken a backseat.
MLC K Kavitha has been speaking about the Women’s Reservation Bill. Former MP B Vinod Kumar issued a statement that they are confusing people about Parliament session and nobody from south India was in the committee on One Nation One Election. The BRS has not publicly taken a stand and remains a mute spectator.
Even though Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said on 22 August the “Mission to change India will continue after polls”, BRS Maharashtra wing continues to work. A couple of days ago, BRS extended its support to the bandh observed in seven districts of the Marathwada region in response to a call given by opposition parties there over the demand for reservation for the Maratha community. Harish Rao went to Solapur on 30August and the party even announced Rs1 crore donation to the Markandeya Temple. BRS Maharashtra wing continues to spread the word and joiningshappen locally per their social media handles.
Noticeably, there are no joinings happening in Telangana Bhavan or Pragathi Bhavan from Maharashtra. It may be mentioned here that KCR said, “We will continue to roam around in different states. The Mission to Change India will continue after the polls. We will not go in alliance with anyone. We want to change the whole of India; we are not in a hurry. In whichever way we want to go, we will. Our Mission is big. India needs to change”.
Even party sources are confused over the stand. Sources said, “It is not something you can take easily. Opposition used national issues to campaign and won in the Lok Sabha elections. Assembly elections hinge on local issues; still, evidently party is not responding. But this leaves space for opposition parties to attack us”.
