Hyderabad, June 11: What is your assessment of your party president Nitin Gadkari’s threeday tour of the state?
The BJP received serious setbacks in the state in the 2004 and 2009 elections. So the party’s state committee invited the national president to instil confidence in our leader and cadres. It was an opportunity for him to have a close look at Andhra Pradesh politics and he gave us valuable suggestions to strengthen the party across the state. We are planning to strengthen our organisational network this year. The party will undertake special programmes to reach out to all sections of society.
In an interview here, Gadkari said he did not believe in caste politics. Bbut doesn’t caste play a major role in AP politics?
Gadkariji never said caste is not a factor in politics. What he said was that unfortunately political parties were getting fixated with caste politics. As far as our state is concerned, the BJP has been trying to attract people of all castes by working with castebased organisations. The BJP state committee has created several cells in the state party unit. We are planning to organise separate conventions in all districts in the future.
Why is the state committee not ready to lead the Telangana movement? Isn’t it more relevant to Telangana than the Ram Janmabhoimi issue?
The BJP is actively participating in the Telangana movement. At the same time, we have our own limitations.
What limitations?
As a national political party, the BJP sees all the three regions of the state as equal. We do not want regional imbalances. We are committed to fighting any government which discriminates against any region. As far as the Telangana issue is concerned, we are playing an active role with a clearcut policy. We are for the formation of a Telangana state whereas other parties haven’t even dared take a policy decision on it. We are against provoking people of any region and we are against attacking people from other regions. We don’t blame any region for the plight of Telangana. Remember, the Union government cannot deliver Telangana without the involvement of the BJP in the movement or in Parliament.
Your MLA Y Laxminarayana quit the Assembly in sympathy with the Telangana movement. Why didn’t you? Has he been made a sacrificial lamb?
Who is asking for my resignation? Why are they not posing the same question to (TRS president) K Chandrasekhar Rao or (TRS MP) Vijayashanti? Laxminarayana is no sacrificial lamb. He has in fact become a hero in Telangana.
What are your party’s hopes in the coming byelections in Telangana?
We are definitely retaining the Nizamabad seat. In the other 11 Assembly constituencies, we have not yet decided whom to support.
Are you going to canvass in the election campaign?
Of course. I and other party leaders will actively participate in the Nizamabad byelection.
Your party is boycotting the Justice Srikrishna Committee. Was that decision taken by the national executive or the state committee?
The party’s national committee took the decision before I became the BJP state president. I was in no way concerned with it.
TDP president Chandrababu Naidu has said he is not going to have an alliance with the BJP again.
We don’t want an alliance with the TDP either. Who is trying to court the TDP?
The MIM is demanding Rayala Telangana, lumping Telangana and Rayalaseema together. What is the BJP’s stance on this?
The MIM is in the hands of the Congress. They want to prevent creation of a Telangana state by making such unnecessary demands. The Congress is enacting a drama in concert with the MIM.
—Agencies