<p>As the curtains come down on a spirited campaign in Telangana, the BJP state president and Union Minister <strong>G Kishan Reddy</strong> tells <em>DH</em>’s <strong>Amrita Madhukalya</strong> that the BRS and Congress share a tacit understanding and his party is combating the "communal politics" of the MIM. Excerpts: </p><p><strong>Congress has accused the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM of being BJP's B-team and of fielding only nine candidates in Telangana while fielding nearly 100 candidates in UP to help the saffron party. What is your response?</strong></p><p>Owaisi is now openly supporting the BRS and is in a tacit understanding with Congress to keep us out. The BJP is the only party that is openly standing against the communal politics of the MIM. Our manifesto promises to completely ban cow slaughter as per the directive principles of the Constitution and remove religion-based reservations.</p><p><strong>In a post-poll situation without a clear majority, will the BJP be the kingmaker and ally with the BRS?</strong></p><p>The BJP in Telangana is confident of securing the majority; we will form a government with our ally Jana Sena. After the elections, the BJP will keep the interests of the people at the centre of any decision that it makes.</p>.BJP will liberate Telangana from clutches of BRS, says PM Modi.<p><strong>A lot of Telangana BJP leaders have left the party, in some cases even after nominations. What is the party’s strategy to stop them?</strong></p><p>As a cadre-based party, we are committed to serving Telangana and upholding the principles for which it was formed. Our focus remains on addressing the aspirations of the people and serving the state with integrity and zero tolerance towards corruption. People who cannot align themselves with this agenda and BJP’s overall ideology of nation first may have left.</p><p><strong>The PM has recently announced a committee for SC categorisation. Will it impact the election results?</strong></p><p>It underscores the BJP’s commitment to the most marginalised communities. The SC sub-categorisation is a very sensitive issue, and the national leadership’s commitment to creating the committee comes after understanding the implications and analysing the existing complexities in the matter. Such issues should not be looked at through the lens of impending elections but as a response to longstanding demands and the BJP’s dedication to social justice.</p><p><strong>How has the rejig in the BJP Telangana unit, where Bandi Sanjay was sent to the Centre, fared for the party?</strong></p><p>The transition in leadership within our party has been part of a larger organisational revamp. Sanjay completed his term as president, and the party initially thought of continuing him until the elections. However, they later decided to elevate him to national general secretary owing to his contributions as state president. Unlike dynastic parties such as the Congress and the BRS, our party isn’t centred around a single family.</p><p><strong>How is the party countering the Congress narrative that the BRS and BJP have joined hands? How is it affecting the BJP’s prospects in the state?</strong></p><p>The PM, on several occasions, has stated that the BJP did not allow the BRS to enter the NDA because corruption, despotism, minority appeasement and nepotism are an integral part of the BRS’s DNA. The BJP does not identify with any of this. </p><p>The BRS and Congress, however, are aligned ideologically and politically. Their intertwined history of revolving door politics since 2014 also demonstrates a shared understanding of opportunism and greed for power.</p><p>The public clearly perceives the politics and ideology of the BJP and BRS as separate and distinct. The Congress has no credibility in the state, especially after many of their MLAs joined the BRS without even resigning from the Congress party. Therefore, nobody believes their narrative. </p>
<p>As the curtains come down on a spirited campaign in Telangana, the BJP state president and Union Minister <strong>G Kishan Reddy</strong> tells <em>DH</em>’s <strong>Amrita Madhukalya</strong> that the BRS and Congress share a tacit understanding and his party is combating the "communal politics" of the MIM. Excerpts: </p><p><strong>Congress has accused the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM of being BJP's B-team and of fielding only nine candidates in Telangana while fielding nearly 100 candidates in UP to help the saffron party. What is your response?</strong></p><p>Owaisi is now openly supporting the BRS and is in a tacit understanding with Congress to keep us out. The BJP is the only party that is openly standing against the communal politics of the MIM. Our manifesto promises to completely ban cow slaughter as per the directive principles of the Constitution and remove religion-based reservations.</p><p><strong>In a post-poll situation without a clear majority, will the BJP be the kingmaker and ally with the BRS?</strong></p><p>The BJP in Telangana is confident of securing the majority; we will form a government with our ally Jana Sena. After the elections, the BJP will keep the interests of the people at the centre of any decision that it makes.</p>.BJP will liberate Telangana from clutches of BRS, says PM Modi.<p><strong>A lot of Telangana BJP leaders have left the party, in some cases even after nominations. What is the party’s strategy to stop them?</strong></p><p>As a cadre-based party, we are committed to serving Telangana and upholding the principles for which it was formed. Our focus remains on addressing the aspirations of the people and serving the state with integrity and zero tolerance towards corruption. People who cannot align themselves with this agenda and BJP’s overall ideology of nation first may have left.</p><p><strong>The PM has recently announced a committee for SC categorisation. Will it impact the election results?</strong></p><p>It underscores the BJP’s commitment to the most marginalised communities. The SC sub-categorisation is a very sensitive issue, and the national leadership’s commitment to creating the committee comes after understanding the implications and analysing the existing complexities in the matter. Such issues should not be looked at through the lens of impending elections but as a response to longstanding demands and the BJP’s dedication to social justice.</p><p><strong>How has the rejig in the BJP Telangana unit, where Bandi Sanjay was sent to the Centre, fared for the party?</strong></p><p>The transition in leadership within our party has been part of a larger organisational revamp. Sanjay completed his term as president, and the party initially thought of continuing him until the elections. However, they later decided to elevate him to national general secretary owing to his contributions as state president. Unlike dynastic parties such as the Congress and the BRS, our party isn’t centred around a single family.</p><p><strong>How is the party countering the Congress narrative that the BRS and BJP have joined hands? How is it affecting the BJP’s prospects in the state?</strong></p><p>The PM, on several occasions, has stated that the BJP did not allow the BRS to enter the NDA because corruption, despotism, minority appeasement and nepotism are an integral part of the BRS’s DNA. The BJP does not identify with any of this. </p><p>The BRS and Congress, however, are aligned ideologically and politically. Their intertwined history of revolving door politics since 2014 also demonstrates a shared understanding of opportunism and greed for power.</p><p>The public clearly perceives the politics and ideology of the BJP and BRS as separate and distinct. The Congress has no credibility in the state, especially after many of their MLAs joined the BRS without even resigning from the Congress party. Therefore, nobody believes their narrative. </p>