Development will be our election plank: Prakash Javadekar
The Hindu
BJP Telangana election in-charge confident of trouncing BRS in upcoming Assembly elections, says there is ‘tremendous anger against KCR’s family rule and corruption’.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadekar has been camping in Telangana of late to bring order to the party divided between veterans and newcomers, to finalise candidate selection and fine-tune the campaign for the forthcoming Assembly elections as the BJP State election in-charge. In this exclusive interview with V. Geetanath, he explains the party’s strategy.
What is your assessment of the current political scenario in Telangana?
Politics has changed a lot in the Telugu States post bifurcation. We were part of the Telangana movement but the basic premise is the same. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an untainted leader with credibility and poor people across the country identify with him and his work. His schemes has had a tremendous impact, and the whole country has changed in the past nine years, thanks to houses for the poor, health insurance and toilets. In Telangana itself, there are 50 lakh ‘Mudra’ scheme beneficiaries among small businesspersons.
Will you be depending on Mr.Modi’s image and popularity alone?
Mr.Modi is the main asset for us. Telangana has peculiar politics because people voted Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao to power in 2014 out of gratitude and again in 2018, because of welfare schemes. But, now his regime is like UPA’s second term — reviled by people because of family rule, corruption, and empty promises. How many have benefitted through schemes like Dalit Bandhu or BC Bandhu? There is no unemployment stipend.
What makes you think BRS is on weak ground this time?
There is tremendous anger against KCR’s family rule and corruption. There is tremendous anti-incumbency against the BRS MLAs. People have noticed the assets being amassed by them, from houses to cars, over the past few years. It is essentially anger against the MLAs and KCR this time.
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