Rajagopal Reddy explains what ails the BJP, though he was still in the saffron party, and says how to make it battle ready.
Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy during the interview with South First.
Telangana BJP leader Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy belongs to the rare breed of politicians who dare to call a spade a spade.
Rajagopal Reddy who also represented the Munugode Assembly constituency as a Congress MLA, stood out from others when he joined the BJP after resigning from the Congress and the membership of the Assembly.
He then fought the by-election on the BJP ticket and gave his BRS rival a run for his money. Though he lost by about 10,000 votes, he has no regrets because he came very close to winning a seat where the BJP was nonexistent earlier.
In an interview with South First, Rajagopal Reddy was frank — at times brutally so — in explaining what ails the BJP in Telangana, and how to make it battle-ready ahead of the Assembly elections slated for year-end. Edited excerpts from the interview.
Q. How have you been keeping politically active these days?
A. Of late, I have not been very active. There has been a lull for quite some time now. After I lost the Munugode by-election and with the Karnataka results going the Congress way, it appears there is a slight change in perception of which party should get a chance this time to rule Telangana.
Rajagopal Reddy – On perception about Congress.
Prior to the Karnataka election, the BJP was considered the only party that could challenege the BRS. Now people seem to be thinking that the Congress may be a better bet. But now the pendulum is swinging back. The initial hype, that the Congress was on the rise, is also slowly cooling down.
Q. Are you active in your constituency? Are you meeting people in Munugode?
A. I am not in the ruling party. Nevertheless, I am visiting my constituency. If there are any programmes, I am attending all of them.
Q. Why do you think you lost the by-election to Munugode?
A. There are many reasons but the significant one was that the BRS had deployed MLAs, MPs and several leaders. About 140 BRS leaders camped in villages for over a month, creating impediments to my campaign.
Q. There was an allegation that you joined the BJP in return for contracts worth ₹18,000 crore to your infrastructure company.
A. My company got the tender through the official process of bidding. We got the tender as we qualified. Also, this happened a year before the by-election. But the BRS campaigned using the contract that my company got as the one weapon against me. It tried to malign my image.
Q. Did this have any impact on the outcome of the by-election?
A. Obviously, as they kept saying that “I sold myself out” to the BJP. Though a majority of the people did not believe it, the campaign nevertheless had an adverse impact. The people know the real me.
If I were that type of person, I would have gone to the BRS as they tried to influence me by dangling carrots. A number of leaders moved to the BRS from the Congress and then joined the BJP.
Q. Did communists play spoilsport in the by-election?
A, The communists, who are ideologically against the BJP, threw their lot with the BRS to defeat me as I was in the bullring on the BJP ticket.
Q. Did communists support the BRS because they wanted to defeat the BJP or was there any pecuniary consideration?
A. KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao) may have given some funds to them, but I think they supported the BRS to defeat the BJP as it was their ideological rival.
The BRS won the by-election because of the communists’ support. The CPI and the CPI(M) together handed over about 15,000 to 20,000 votes to the BRS.
In the past, communists represented Munugode in the Assembly. They have a strong base in Choutuppal which is part of the Munugode Assembly constituency.
Q. Why did you leave the Congress and join the BJP? Congress is also fighting against KCR.
A. After the 2014 elections, due to the absence of able leaders in the Congress, the party remained low-key. In the 2018 elections, the Congress won 18 seats but 12 MLAs crossed the fence and joined the BRS.
The Congress does not have any leaders to protect the MLAs. Though I was there and capable of leading the party, I was ignored. I was not given responsibility.
Rajagopal Reddy – On Revanth Reddy.
Q. After the arrival of A Revanth Reddy, has the situation changed in the TPCC?
A. Revanth is not a leader. I have known him for a long time. He neither has leadership qualities nor commitment to society.
He was never active during the Telangana movement. He is a manipulator. There is no rivalry between us. I do not consider him a leader.
He might manipulate and manage to get the PCC president’s position or become an MLA or MP, but I do not accept him as a leader.
Q. You attack KCR, KTR, and K Kavitha. Why do you hate them so much?
A. I do not have any personal hatred towards anyone. I am working for the betterment of Telangana society. I have worked hard as an MP for Telangana’s statehood.
The state has become debt-ridden under KCR’s leadership. It does not even have a functional democracy. There are no systems or protocols in place. It is in chaos and full of corruption.
In the name of different projects, corruption has increased. The KCR family began occupying lands. The children of the poor do not receive free education or healthcare.
This is not the Telangana we fought for, so my fight is not against one particular person. The BRS was scared that if the BJP won from Munugode, the people might think that the BJP would come to power since the BRS had already lost the Dubbaka and Huzurabad by-elections.
Rajagopal Reddy – On KCR and family.
Because of this fear, they had deployed their entire might in the constituency. I was never scared. I believe in the truth. I am convinced that dharma is on my side.
I was fighting for my people. Had I won the Munugode by-election, it would have had a ripple effect throughout the state. Which is why I resigned and fought.
KCR is using schemes just to win the elections and because of that the state’s finances are in a mess.
Q. Haven’t farmers benefited from Rythu Bandhu?
A. We have said several times that there should be a limit to the Rythu Bandhu scheme. People with more than 10 acres of land should not be eligible for Rythu Bandhu.
I am getting Rythu Bandhu since I own 40 acres of land. But is it necessary? I have said this in the Assembly.
Why should a person like me get Rythu Bandhu? They can fix a ceiling of 10 to 15 acres.
Q. Why do you think KCR has not fixed any ceiling for Rythu Bandhu?
A. This is to favour big landlords in the villages as the people in the villages are under their influence for various reasons.
The landlords can mobilise villagers’ support for the BRS. KCR does not have any love for farmers.
Q. Don’t you think it is a political strategy to win the election since in the game of politics, winning is all that matters?
A. In the long run, it is not going to be helpful for the people. The BJP never plays politics in the name of freebies.
The Karnataka government has introduced five guarantees. Because of these schemes, the state budget of ₹3 lakh crore is now having an additional 30 percent burden which means they need an additional ₹59,000 crore.
They can manage the show until June next year, but where would they get money afterwards?
They have given these guarantees to get votes from the poor. But practically implementing these guarantees, in the long run, is highly difficult.
Similarly, KCR is also selling lands to mobilise money to implement farmers’ loan waivers and other schemes. The government is spending money on unnecessary projects.
They are borrowing heavily. The debt burden is about ₹5 lakh crore. We have Hyderabad which is a cash cow.
This revenue should be used on education, healthcare, infrastructure, and industries. If they do that the state would be in a better place.
Q. After you joined the BJP, the saffron party felt you were a prize catch. You were considered to be the only leader who could take KCR head-on. After you lost Munugode, the BJP seems to have lost interest in you. You were sidelined, weren’t you?
A. There were no issues in particular, but the BJP central leadership has got some negative feedback about me from the leaders of the state.
Due to that, the central leadership has had a negative view of me for the last six months.
Q. What do you mean by negative feedback?
A. That I did not work during the by-election in coordination with the BJP workers.
Q. Was your campaign independent of BJP’s?
A. We tried to work together but due to a lack of coordination, we lost the election. A lot of BJP leaders visited during the campaign. A lot of good leaders also came, but a few others created some problems.
Rajagopal Reddy – On being an ‘outsider’ in BJP.
Q. Is it because those who created problems for you felt that you are a threat to their ascendency in the BJP?
A. It is one of the main reasons. The leadership too believed them. But later on, the leadership realised and called me to listen to my side of the story. By then Kavitha’s issue was raging. The centre pinched her and left her. It was not a sound strategy. The people began suspecting that the BJP and the BRS had struck a deal. Having touched her, you should not have left her.
They should not have brought her in in the first place if they had no intention of taking it to its logical conclusion.
I even asked Amit Shah. I asked him why he had not called me even after six months of the by-election to Munugode. Just because I lost, is it proper for him not to call me? I would have explained to him clearly what had happened in Munugode.
Q. So they have sidelined you.
A. The state leaders do not have much power to sideline me. They simply have to implement whatever decision is taken by the central leadership.
At the state level, the approach should be to defeat KCR. This is the reason why I came into the BJP. The Congress is no longer powerful. The only alternative is the BJP. Just because I lost the by-election with a slight margin, they cannot brand me as a loser. I have fought and gone down fighting. I polled 87,000 votes.
Q. Do you have any differences with Bandi Sanjay Kumar?
A. I have no issues with BJP leaders personally. My only issue is that they have delayed a few decisions. They should have appointed G Kishan Reddy as president in January itself rather than waiting till July. Bandi Sanay’s term was over in March. Changing the leaders barely a few months before the elections shocked everyone.
Rajagopal Reddy – On Amit Shah and PM Modi.
Q. Did you and Eatala Rajender apprise the party situation to Amit Shah?
A. I explained the situation but it was a little late. Even now people think the BJP is the only party that could take on KCR. It is still possible under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda.
The BJP always talks about corruption. We are asking the leadership to take some action against KCR for his “corrupt deeds”.
If they do that, I would be able to work hard to defeat KCR. We are in power at the Centre. We should be able to take action against KCR and his family.
There are allegations of corruption in the execution of irrigation projects and the Dharani portal. All these allegations have to be investigated.
They should look into how KCR had come to possess thousands of acres of land under a benami name. Let the central leadership act on this.
The BJP alone can deliver goods at the national level. We want a clean slate and a strong Centre. If the country is fine, then that also would be fine.
Q. Is it true that after the Congress won in Karnataka, there is a perception that the BJP was trying to shake hands with the BRS?
A. It is true to some extent. But I still believe that Modi and Shah would take action against KCR for his corrupt deeds.
Q. Why did BJP’s guns fall silent after Karnataka elections?
A. I do not know what intelligence reports Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are getting, but they are taking the wrong decisions.
Someone from the state is misleading them. I do not know what information they are giving him. The party should know that the BJP is becoming weaker in the state.
Q. Do you think BJP would be able to win the election, given the changed scenario?
A. If the BJP decides to take stern action against KCR, it can surely win the election. The people of Telangana have trust in the leadership of Modi.
Our country’s safety, security, and development are in the hands of Modi. In 2024, BJP will form government at the Centre,
The BJP does not exist in the rural areas in Telangana. It is, however, strong in urban pockets. People like us have come to the BJP to defeat KCR.
If the Centre does not take action against KCR, what is the use of coming to the BJP? I resigned from the Munugode seat and joined the BJP only to defeat KCR.
Q. You are marginalised because you do not have the RSS DNA, aren’t you? You are an outsider as you were not tempered in RSS ideology like the native BJP leaders are.
A. It is unsubstantiated criticism. Look at Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam. He is from the Congress but after joining the BJP he became chief minister.
Similarly, even in Telangana, a lot of people like us have come to the BJP attracted by Modi’s leadership. We are Hindus. We do have Hindutva in our blood but that does not mean we make provocative speeches and foment communal riots.
Q. But the BJP does have a communal colour?
A. No. BJP’s motto is to go forward with progress and development. The BJP speaks of nationalism and not communalism. The BJP does not provoke anyone into violence.
Q. Does BRS have any scope at the national level?
A. No. KCR is a Tughlaq. I think he has lost his mental balance. Nothing is good in Telangana right now. Besides, the state is saddled with debts.
Even salaries are not being paid to the employees on time. There are no jobs, no houses for the poor, and no hospitals, schools, and roads.
What kind of a person is KCR? He is roaming around in Maharashtra at this point in time.
Q. Why do you think KCR does not know about issues in Telangana?
A. KCR has built a huge secretariat, police command centre, and Ambedkar statue which are visually appealing.
He is showing them to people and asking them to understand what development means. Is there any real development in the state?
Q. What is your take on KTR?
A. KTR is becoming arrogant by the day. Look at the way he was speaking in the Assembly.
His father speaks all lies and the son is arrogant. The way he addresses the Opposition and the jeering remarks he makes. Just because you are in power, can you speak like that?
Q. Which party will come to power in Telangana?
A. BJP will come to power. People of Telangana are inclined to support the BJP.
Q. How many seats do you think the BJP will get?
A. We will get the majority.
Q. But Congress is also pitching its heels in the electoral turf.
A. The Congress’ fortunes are on a downward spiral. Just because it won in Karnataka, does not mean it will, in Telangana.
The BJP won in Gujarat but did it win Telangana? The Congress won in Chhattisgarh but did it win in Telangana? Each state has its own issues and factors that influence the voting pattern
Q. Are you likely to go back to Congress?
A. Because I have been in Congress for a long time, there are friends who want me to be back in the Congress. I do not have any need to change parties. I will continue to work under Modi’s leadership.
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