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With Telangana Assembly elections barely 3-4 months away, the BJP appears to be adopting a new strategy by hitting the roads on various public issues to corner the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
The arrest of union minister and newly appointed state BJP president G. Kishan Reddy and other leaders amid high drama on Thursday indicate that the party is looking to go aggressive to highlight what it calls failures of KCR-led government.
Soon after his arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport from Delhi, Kishan Reddy along with other leaders tried to proceed to Bata Singaram, a village in neighbouring Rangareddy district to inspect construction of double bedroom houses for the poor by the state government.
The police stopped Kishan Reddy and others from heading towards the village, evoking strong protest from the BJP leaders.
There was high drama as the union minister questioned the police action and entered an argument with Rachakonda Police Commission D.S. Chauhan.
With the police officer making it clear that there was no permission to visit the village, Kishan Reddy along with party MLA M. Raghunandan Rao and others sat on the road amid rains.
The police took them into preventive custody and later dropped them at the BJP office in the city.
Kishan Reddy was agitated over the manner in which he was stopped and arrested by the police.
"Am I a criminal, anti-social element or terrorist. Did I violate any law," he questioned.
The union minister clarified that he had not given any call for protest but they only wanted to see the status of the housing project as compared to other state governments, KCR government was neglecting the poor in addressing the problem of housing.
"I have not even taken charge (as state BJP president). I just wanted to go there as a union minister but the government acted in an autocratic manner by arresting me and others and placing several other leaders under house arrest," he said.
Alleging that KCR government is misusing power by trying to muzzle the voice of opposition, Kishan Reddy warned that it will have to pay the price.
Kishan Reddy, who is set to take charge as state BJP president on Friday, declared that the war has begun against the BRS government.
"Today, they started the war. We are ready for this war against the BRS and KCR family in a peaceful and democratic manner. We will fight on behalf of people," he said.
The union minister said that the BJP will start protests on various public issues from July 25.
The party plans to take on the KCR government on the latter's failed promises like double bed-room houses, pensions, Podu lands, unemployment allowance, filling of government vacancies, implementation of Dalit Bandhu and Girijana Bandhu.
His first protest on street after appointed as state BJP chief, his scathing attack on BRS indicate that Kishan Reddy wants to go all out against KCR government in the run-up to the polls to move closer to voters.
The saffron party seems to be adopting a strategy similar to West Bengal where its leaders had hit the streets before polls to take on Mamata Banerjee government over various issues.
Political analysts say the BJP also needs this strategy to boost the morale of the party cadres after the recent setbacks.
The defeat in recent Karnataka Assembly elections already dealt a blow to the BJP in Telangana as the Congress party appears to have overtaken it in the race to challenge BRS.
Infighting in BJP leading to the change in leadership came as another setback to the party.
A section of BJP leaders did not like the way Bandi Sanjay Kumar was removed as the party president.
He was seen as an aggressive leader who lifted the BJP to the current position in the state.
On the other hand, Kishan Reddy, who had earlier served as state BJP president, is perceived as a soft leader.
Some of his critics even claim that he cannot take a tough stand against KCR.
An analyst said that Thursday's protest by Kishan Reddy and his war-cry also shows that he too wants to be seen as an aggressive leader capable of taking on the BRS.
By undertaking protests on various issues, the BJP hopes to regain the momentum which it had till a few months ago.
After winning two Assembly by-elections and with impressive performance in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, the BJP was projecting itself as the only viable alternative to BRS.
With the Karnataka poll outcome and subsequent developments causing setbacks, the BJP now seems to have realised that it needs to go aggressive in exposing the failures of KCR during his two terms to come up to a position where it can really challenge him.
In 2018, BJP had bagged only one seat in 119-member Assembly.
However, in the Lok Sabha elections held a few months later the party put in its best-ever performance to win four Lok Sabha seats.
