HYDERABAD: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday said the BJP might attempt to combine the Lok Sabha polls with 13 state Assembly polls, including Telangana state.
"Clarity on timing of polls may emerge after the Parliament Special Session from September 18," Rama Rao said.
He, however, refused to speculate on the agenda and offer comments on critical issues like the Women Reservation Bill, Uniform Civil Code and One Nation One Election (ONOE), saying: "We will cross the bridge when it comes."
In an informal chat with mediapersons, Rama Rao said the BJP would get a drubbing in all five states due for polls this year and naturally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be averse to facing Lok Sabha polls next May after losing badly in this year’s Assembly polls. "There will be simultaneous polls if the notification for five states is not out by October 10," he said.
Rama Rao was also doubtful if Modi, after constantly targeting the Congress for the dark days of Emergency and scrapping Opposition governments in states, would invite flak by imposing President’s Rule.
"When Union minister G. Kishan Reddy asserted that state polls will be held as per schedule, the BJP was desperate to keep its cadre engaged and not afford to reveal about postponement of elections. Does anyone in the country know what will happen, other than Modi and Shah?" he said.
Rama Rao also refused to buy the ‘euphoric narrative’ being built by Congress on its improved position across the country.
Asked about the BRS’s poll prospects in the event of simultaneous polls, the minister said the people have made up their mind to elect Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for the third time and no strategy of the Opposition would yield a result. "We will expose the failure of BJP MPs from the state to bring funds and projects," he said.
Terming ONOE and the exclusive use of ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’ as cheap political gimmicks and diversionary tactics of Modi, Rama Rao questioned why the BJP did not propose the ONOE over the past nine years. "The BJP is a disaster to the country and Modi has no answers to rise in inflation and unemployment, besides the Centre’s failure to provide drinking water and making India a five-trillion economy," the minister said.
Taking a potshot at the G20 Summit, Rama Rao said that "people are more interested in T20 matches."
"It is a routine meeting rotated among all the member nations. I am sure no one in the country knows what the Delhi Declaration is and its impact on the life of common man," he said.
Rama Rao also cautioned people of Telangana against Andhra leaders, who, he said, "did everything at their disposal to prevent carving out Telangana and ruling the state through their proxies."
Hitting out at former Congress MP K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao for arguing that people should treat him as Telanganite, the BRS leader said that both the BJP and Congress "mortgaged Telangana" to the likes of KVP, Sharmila and former chief minister N. Kirankumar Reddy.
"He (KVP) made all efforts to crush Telangana agitation and split our party, the lone force fighting for separate statehood for Telangana," he said.
"An incompetent Kishan Reddy (current state BJP chief) refused to resign from the Assembly and ran, while Revanth threatened to shoot Telangana agitators. It is unfortunate for Telangana that their respective parties want to make them chief ministers, as the real intent is to run the administration through remote control," Rama Rao said.
The minister said that Opposition parties were suffering from bankruptcy of thought and were no match for the stalwart politician K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Claiming that announcing the candidatures for 115 seats infused great confidence among the cadre, he said sporadic incidents of dissidence would be contained.
When questioned about Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest, Rama Rao refused to be dragged into the internal matters of a neighbouring state. "We are least concerned about what is happening there," he said.
On the allegations of ditching Left parties despite the reported Chief Minister’s assurance to continue the alliance in Assembly polls during the Munugode bypoll campaign, Rama Rao said: "Although both Left and BRS, in principle, fight against divisive Modi, the poll arithmetic came in the way of alliance. We could not match their aspirations."
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