‘Newcomers’ need to work with seniors to achieve BJP’s goals, says Bandi Sanjay Kumar

The BJP national general secretary, who is a sitting MP, is contesting from the Karimnagar Assembly segment for the third time. He downplayed his removal as a state unit president, saying that the party is not driven by an individual but by ideology.

Kumar also exuded confidence that the BJP will get a majority of seats in the 119-member Telangana Assembly in the 30 November polls and the party will form the government this time.

Also Read: Why is DMK backing the Congress over BRS in Telangana?

On ‘newcomers’

“Newcomers may face some difficulty getting along well with senior leaders in the party. Still, we have to work together. If we have joined the party to achieve a common target, then we have to bear some difficulty. Both seniors and newcomers should work in unity,” the BJP leader told PTI in an interview.

“The newcomers should sort out differences, if any, through dialogue,” he said and asserted that the BJP believes and functions with coordination.

On the prospects of the BJP winning in the coming Assembly polls, Kumar said the party has gained ground in the state after winning byelections in Dubbaka and Huzurabad as well as Greater Hyderabad and Teacher’s MLC polls despite some sections of the media supporting the BRS and Congress sending “conflicting” signals to the masses.

With the election campaign at its peak, he said both senior party leaders and newcomers are committed and working hard to defeat the ruling BRS, and even the people are in favour of the BJP.

‘BJP will win’

Asked if, having lost the Karnataka elections, whether the party would manage to get more seats than the Congress in Telangana, Kumar said, “Definitely, we will get a majority. The poor have faith in the BJP.”

The people of Telangana will not give a chance to the Congress, which has won in Karnataka by allegedly cheating them on a false promise of five guarantees. On the other hand, the BRS has turned Telangana into a debt-ridden state, he said.

Asked where the saffron party got this confidence, as no survey has projected a chance for the BJP to win, the Hindutva firebrand leader said the same surveys in the past had said the party would not win in Huzurabad, Dubbaka, and other elections.

“But BJP won in them. The surveys will change. The saffron party will form the government,” he said.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP won only one seat out of 117 seats it contested with a vote share of 7.13 percent. Whereas BRS (then TRS) had won 88 seats, while Congress got 19. Later, 12 Congress MLAs defected to the BRS.

Also Read: Telangana Muslim JAC declares support for Congress

Replacement as party chief

On whether the replacement of the state party’s chief would hurt BJP’s prospects in the election, Kumar said, “The party is not driven by individual leaders but by ideology. Whether I am there as state party president or not, the current party state president, Kishan Reddy, is working hard and performing very well.”

Kishan Reddy was not fielded in the Assembly poll because he, being a state party president, has many engagements. Otherwise, MPs and ministers are contesting in other election-bound states as well, he said.

“The party has decided to field MPs and ministers in the Assembly election. As per that decision, I am contesting from Karimnagar,” he added.

Kishan Reddy was appointed as the state BJP president just four months before the Assembly polls in Telangana. The party also appointed Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender as the Election Management Committee chief.

BRS and Congress one team

Rebutting reports that the BJP is a “B” team of BRS, Kumar said, “Both the BRS and Congress are ‘maligning’ the party. In fact, the BRS and Congress are one team. People are aware of it.”

The two parties (BRS and Congress) worked together during the President of India Draupadi Murmu’s elections and we have seen them protesting in Parliament too, he said, and alleged that the BRS has also funded some Congress candidates so that it can buy them later, if elected.

“Why are we fighting against the BRS and going to jail? Why are there 74 cases against me? Did Congress people go to jail?

Are there any cases against Congress leaders? Revanth Reddy or Uttam Kumar Reddy did not go to jail. Since we are fighting and going to jail, it is not us, but Congress is the ‘B’ team of BRS,” he added.

On reports that the BJP is supporting the BRS in some seats to ensure defeat for the Congress, Kumar said both the BRS and Congress are fighting against the BJP. “People are not supporting Congress because they are thinking that the grand old party leaders may switch over if they get elected. They will not get votes and may lose their deposit.”

Asked why the Union government has not taken action against BRS leader and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam case, he said, “The ED and other agencies are not organisations of the BJP. They will take action based on the evidence. That issue is not concerning us and we need not respond.”

However, under a development-oriented BJP Union government, no one can escape if any wrong is done, he noted.

Also read: KCR describes Delhi parties as eagles descending on Telangana

About Karimnagar

On the chances of winning the Karimnagar Assembly seat this time, the BJP leader said that as a MP he has worked a lot in the Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency and strengthened the BJP in the state as ex-party president.

“I am fighting for the welfare of all sections of the people and have gone to jail several times. If people are concerned about the development of Karimnagar, it is important for them to elect a BJP candidate. I am confident they will vote this time,” he said.

Asked about polarisation politics gaining momentum, Kumar said the Congress and AIMIM are only concerned about 12 percent of Muslim vote and therefore seen offering namaz with them to woo their votes.

“They are not concerned about 80 percent of Hindu voters. People are thinking why should they vote for them,” he said, and added that he has completed 70 percent of campaigning in his constituency.

The party workers are working hard in the constituency and preparing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled rally to be held on 27 November, he said.

When asked if he is in the race for the chief minister post as the party has announced it will make one from the backward community if it wins in the Assembly polls, Kumar said, “The BJP works systematically with ideology. Such decisions are taken by the central leadership after consultation with the elected MLAs. I will abide by the party’s decision.”

Kumar had lost in the last two Assembly polls against BRS candidate and incumbent BC Welfare and Food Minister Gangula Kamalakar.

(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)