A day after the leaders of 26 Opposition parties led by the Congress met in Bengaluru to announce a new coalition, INDIA, and the NDA headed by the BJP had a meeting with 38 parties, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS; earlier Telangana Rashtra Samiti or TRS), which was not invited to either of these meetings, remains unfazed. In an exclusive interview with The Hindu’s Ravi Reddy and R. Ravikanth Reddy, former BRS MP and Vice Chairman of the Telangana State Planning Board B. Vinod Kumar, reiterated the party’s commitment to maintain equidistance from the Congress’ and the BJP’s alliances, respectively, and foresaw an important role for party supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao in national politics after the 2024 parliamentary elections. Excerpts from the interview:
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners and the BJP-led like-minded parties held crucial meetings in Bengaluru and New Delhi on Tuesday. The BRS was not invited to these meetings. How do you see this development?
Yes, right from the beginning, we are neither with the UPA or the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). We left the UPA way back in 2006. In spite of either alliance, we could achieve our goal, that is, the formation of the State of Telangana. Even later, in 2014, when elections were held in undivided Andhra Pradesh, we could win elections on our own, and formed the government. After that in 2018, we once again contested against the BJP and the Congress and won the elections. It is now the ninth year [in power].
Very recently, we transformed from the TRS to the BRS. Our aim is to see an alternative to both the Congress and the BJP. Definitely, we are hopeful in the coming days, after the elections are held in the month of November or December, in Telangana there will definitely be polarisation between Opposition political parties. Hopefully, non-Congress, non-BJP parties will once again come together.
The BRS will contest across the nation along with our well-wishers and definitely emerge as an important political party in 2024.
Is it that the UPA and NDA do not trust BRS supremo, or has the party taken a conscious decision to maintain equidistance from the Congress and the BJP?
You see, whether it is believing or unbelieving, it’s our political ideology. In the 2004 elections, we contested in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana along with the Congress and won five Lok Sabha and 26 Assembly seats [respectively]. We joined the UPA and the Congress ditched us in 2006 in spite of an announcement by the President in the joint session of Parliament, mentioning the State of Telangana in the Common Minimum Programme.
The Congress party said in 2006 that all other political parties were not in tune with the formation of the State of Telangana. We left the UPA alliance and did not join the Congress, and neither did we have an alliance with the BJP.
We have our own ideology of maintaining equidistance to the Congress and the BJP.
There is criticism that your party has a tacit understanding with the BJP and it’s often called the BJP’s ‘B-team’. What is your take on these charges?
You see, the Congress party is making an allegation that we are the ‘B-team’ of BJP. But, BJP senior leaders say we are ‘B-team’ of the Congress. We are neither ‘B’ nor ‘C’ team but the ‘A team’. Now the BJP and the Congress failed to deliver to the aspirations of the common man of this country.
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The foray of the BRS into Maharashtra in recent times is being looked into as an attempt to help the BJP defeat the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Do you really buy this argument, as the BRS does not have stakes in Maharashtra?
You see, for the last four years, people of the border districts of Maharashtra and Karnataka abutting Telangana are just behind our political leadership. They are asking us to launch the party in Maharashtra, a regional political party because, day in and day out, they are watching what is happening in Telangana State.
Surprisingly, you see [that a] few farmers from the neighbouring States have purchased land in Telangana State, drilled borewells and watered their fields to the extent of five to six kilometres inside Telangana. They came to know that Telangana State gives 24-hour electricity and the farmers who have lands here get Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bima [schemes]. All these schemes have attracted them and they see BRS as a friendly government, more particularly to agriculture.
‘Ab ki sarkar kisan sarkar’ slogan has made an impact among the farmers.
Many political leaders not only from the border districts of Maharashtra but far away also came and joined the BRS. A few politicians, who won five times as MPs and MLAs, are with us now. Very recently, we organised four to five public meetings. Shortly, a very big meeting will be conducted in Sholapur, where lakhs of migrants from Telangana are residing. Some BJP and Shiv Sena leaders are in touch with us and are asking for an appointment with our honourable CM, KCR (K. Chandrashekhar Rao).
Even political leaders from Goa, some of them sitting MPs and MLAs, came and met us. The aspiration of the people of Maharashtra is that they want a government which is pro-poor, pro-farmer.
We are going to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Maharashtra. We are going to play a very important role in the formation of the Government in Maharashtra. We will win some Parliament seats in Maharashtra, too.
Also Read | BRS is not a B-Team of either Congress or BJP, says KCR in Maharashtra
The BRS also had an opportunity to contest in Karnataka. KCR said he would play a crucial role in Karnataka. Somehow, the BRS did not contest the elections. What was the reason?
In Maharashtra, you mentioned there is an allegation that the BRS is going to help the BJP win elections. The same charge was there against us when we tried to contest the elections in Karnataka.
Of course, it was too early for us to contest all the seats in Karnataka as we could not reach all the political leaders. In the bordering districts of Karnataka, we could have won some seats. Unfortunately, there was this talk that in the event that we had contested the polls, the BJP would have benefited. We thought it is not correct to contest the elections and moreover, the voters had decided to replace BJP.
The Telangana Assembly elections are months away. There is a surge in the Congress party after the Karnataka elections, and there is a perception that the BJP’s fortunes are sliding down. Is it the Congress or the BJP that’s your main rival?
Definitely, our political main opponent is the Congress party, which we had mentioned earlier also, when the BJP was supposed to be seen as the main rival against the BRS. Our leader, KCR, has clearly said that BJP is not a big force in Telangana State, and it’s a hype [that has been] created. Naturally, when they [the BJP] lost the elections in Karnataka, the real face of the party is now seen. The BJP, in fact, does not have good visible candidates in more than 10 seats.
Had the BJP won the elections in Karnataka, all the Congress leaders who are aspiring to be MLAs would have joined the BJP. Yes, the Congress does have candidates in all the segments in Telangana but many of them are not winnable candidates.
In the forthcoming elections, the BJP will not cross the double digit figure and the Congress will lose the majority of the seats. The BRS will win with a good majority.
Is there any possibility of the BRS forging an alliance in Telangana State with other parties?
We are going to contest all the 119 seats. In 2014 and 2018, we contested all seats, and in 2023 also we will do the same — no alliance with any party at all.
Is there scope for a friendly fight with the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)?
You may see the [AI]MIM will contest in Hyderabad district. Probably, they may field candidates here and there in Telangana State but minority voters are with us. Don’t be surprised if we win a few seats held by the [AI]MIM now. [AI]MIM tally will decrease after this elections.
If it is a fractured mandate in the Lok Sabha elections, how do you foresee the role of the BRS?
Definitely, in case of a fractured mandate after the Lok Sabha elections, the BRS will play a very important role. We stick to the philosophy of development. We will choose an alliance which is pro-poor, democratic, secular, and a progressive alliance for the betterment of the common man.
I think the BRS is going to play a very important role after the Assembly elections itself. Definitely, the Congress will lose in many States and alternative politics will emerge.
All the regional political parties across the country are under the impression that without Congress’ support, it is very difficult to defeat the BJP. The Congress will not win the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram. A situation will emerge where regional parties will play an important role and a new alliance will emerge in Delhi in 2024. BRS supremo KCR will play an important role.
