Karnataka and Telangana have very different political equations, issues and circumstances, Congress leader’s assertion of repeating success story in Telangana dismissed as empty talk
Posted Date – Sat, 5/13/23 at 8:46pm
Source: PTI.
Hyderabad: The Congress party was understandably ecstatic about its party’s victory in Karnataka, and such euphoria led Congress leaders to claim they would repeat a similar performance in Telangana . But the fact remains that Karnataka and Telangana have very different political equations, issues and circumstances, and the Congress leader’s assertion that the success story will be repeated in Telangana is dismissed as empty talk.
First, Congress is the only leading party that can take on the ruling BJP, while Janata Dal (secular faction) led by HD Kumaraswamy is on the fringes of the electoral battle and is only pinning its hopes on becoming a significant player in the event BJP and Congress have the same number of seats. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party faces many problems, from rising prices to corruption allegations. Prominent among the issues that have proven to be detrimental to the BJP are its image of taking a “40% commission”, pursuing community politics, unemployment and a complete lack of focus on development. The Karnataka Assembly seems to have effectively highlighted these issues and persuaded the people to vote for it.
If one were to look at the state of Telangana, it would be very different from Karnataka. Be it issues of steady investment flows, job recruitment, rural economic revival, Telangana’s Congress can’t imagine replicating in Telangana as the ruling BRS steers the country on a development path, according to political analysts. Victories in Karnataka, welfare measures and stability support for farming communities through initiatives such as Rythu Bima, Rythy Bandhu and UPS.
Above all, there is an ideological unity among Karnataka Congress leaders. Party heavyweights like Siddiramaiah and DK Shiva Kumar put aside their personal agendas and worked as a team. But in Telangana’s parliament, the situation is different, it is full of internal divisions. The endless dissident activity only intensified after the appointment of A Revanth Reddy as TPCC chairman.
Bhongir MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has opposed Revanth’s appointment since day one and has stayed away from running for the party in the Munugode by-election, where his younger brother Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy is competing on the BJP ballot. Congress loses deposits in by-elections. Even though the party launched Hath se Hath Jodo Abhiyan last January, most senior leaders did not participate.
Amid all this internal squabbling, TPCC chairman A Revanth Reddy claimed on Saturday that the Karnataka result will have an impact on the Telangana election. “After Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, the next Congress will be held in Telangana,” Revanth Reddy told media personnel at Gandhi’s presidential palace.
If this is the case with Congress, then the BJP, which has been trying to gain ground in Telangana, has also suffered losses in the Munugode bypoll and MLC elections. The party is still looking for candidates to field from all 119 constituencies in the state in order to fight the powerful BRS in the next assembly elections. The ruling BRS has downplayed claims by Congress and the BJP that the Karnataka result has implications for Telangana.
KT Rama Rao, Chairman of BRS Works, tweeted: “Just as the story of Kerala failed to please the people of Karnataka, similarly, the election results in Karnataka are not happy for Telangana. No impact either. Thank you Karnataka people for rejecting ugly and divisive politics”. He also hoped that Hyderabad and Bengaluru would have healthy competition in investing and building infrastructure for the benefit of India. He also extended his best wishes to the new Congress government in Karnataka.
Indeed, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao showed confidence at the BRS plenary meeting last month to score a hat-trick of at least 100 seats in the next election.
