By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
◦
Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi set development as the agenda for the 2023 Assembly polls in Telangana during his 40 minute speech at an impressive public rally named —Vijay Sankalp Sabha. Besides focussing on the development agenda, he also praised the State’s cultural heritage and dynamism of the people and promised an all-around development of Telangana.
Much to the surprise of many, the Prime Minister did not utter a word either on the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is one of Modi’s fiercest critics who stirred a row by not receiving the Prime Minister upon the latter’s arrival in the city. Many would have expected Modi to speak about ‘KCR’s family rule’ in the state or ‘the corruption’ of KCR’s regime.
However, it was the BJP president J P Nadda, who spoke just before the Prime Minister, and hurled such allegations at Chief Minister KCR. Nadda said that the KCR Car (election symbol) is packed with his family members who are controlling the state. Referring to corruption in the state, the BJP chief referred to the ongoing Kaleshwaram irrigation project and said it has become ATM for the KCR family.
Prime Minister Modi, at the rally, said that the BJP was looking to implement its ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ model in the southern state of Telangana. “The BJP wants all-around development of Telangana. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ is the mantra he said., and added, “we want to follow on this path. We held the national executive meeting here this year keeping in mind people’s love for us”.
BJP’s electoral performance in Telangana has improved ever since in 2019. In Greater Hyderabad municipal polls, the BJP saw unforeseen success, Modi observed.
Stating that the BJP is keen to take Telangana on a major development path, the Prime Minister observed that the Ramagundam fertiliser factory, which was lying closed for all these years, is being worked upon and is very soon going to be dedicated to the service of the country. One of the seven mega textile parks is going to be set up in Telangana. Thousands of young people are going to be getting livelihood because of this, Modi said and promised that when Telangana gets a double-engine government, the development will speed up doubly in both cities and villages.
Earlier, at the national executive, Modi asserted that the party’s goal should be “fulfilment of all” as against the Opposition’s politics of appeasement. He also said the country was fed up with dynastic politics and dynastic political parties and added that it would be difficult for such parties to survive long. Referring to Hyderabad city as ‘Bhagyanagar’, Modi said while Sardar Vallabhai Patel laid the foundation of “ Ek Bharat” ( united India) by integrating the region into the Indian Union, it was now the BJP’s historical obligation to build a “Shrestha Bharat“.
Without naming anyone, Modi said the parties which ruled India for long are in terminal decline now – “We should not mock them but learn from their mistakes.” He also hit back at the Opposition parties for questioning the BJP’s democratic credentials and asked what is the status of democracy within their own organisations. Modi asked BJP workers to undertake a “Sneh Yatra” and reach out to all sections of society.
At the National Executive, moving a political resolution, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that the next 30 to 40 years will be the era of his party and India will become a “Vishwa Guru”. Shah observed that dynastic politics, casteism and politics of appeasement were the “greatest sins” and the reason behind the country’s sufferings over the years. He added that the BJP’s recent electoral victories underlined people’s approval of the party’s “politics of development and performance”.
Significantly, Shah said that all problems in the northeast will be solved by 2024. Replying to the political resolution, the Home Minister said that the BJP has found a “ permanent address “ in the region and added that the northeast will have no more problems in the coming times and that all its issues will be solved by 2024. He also recalled that so far, he already made several moves to resolve long pending issues in the region.
Stressing on the northeast, Amit Shah noted that Assam and Meghalaya governments, in March this year, signed a historic agreement in Delhi to resolve their 50-year-old pending border dispute. Further, in a major step in March, Shah told the national executive, that the Centre had removed the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland, 15 police station areas in six districts of Manipur, and 23 districts entirely and one district partially in Assam.
*Senior Journalist
