HYDERABAD: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy attacked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for terming the BJP as “communal”. He wondered how KCR could associate with the Owaisi brothers — Asaduddin and Akbaruddin — yet call BJP “communal”.
“KCR has no right to criticise BJP when he keeps company with a party like AIMIM,” he said on Saturday, in his first conference after being appointed Union Minister a couple of months ago. “The people of Telangana want a change as they are opposing the TRS’ policies. They are sure to support BJP in the 2023 Assembly elections,” he said.
Reddy said the all sections of Telangana’s people, from the youth to government employees and women, wished to see BJP come to power in the State. “And when they want a change, they do not analyse election outcomes. They do not care for KCR or KTR,” he added.
The minister gave the example of Tripura. “BJP had never before gotten even one per cent of the votes in Tripura. But when the people of the State wanted a change, they voted for BJP and gave it a two-thirds majority,” he said. Asked if BJP would try to capture power in Telangana even before 2023, he said, “We will wait till 2023.”
Commenting on his earlier statements, wherein he claimed Hyderabad had become a hub of terrorism, Reddy said, “I had never said all terrorists of the world are living in Hyderabad. I had only said Hyderabad is a breeding ground and a safe zone for terrorists. Even the NIA has picked up persons from here.”
When a reporter asked for his comment on AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s allegation that those who supported BJP were “nationals” and those who opposed it were “anti-nationals”, the Union minister said: “BJP never termed the Congress or other opponents as anti-nationals. Owaisi may talk like that but that is not the ideology of the BJP. We will not treat Opposition parties as rivals. We treat them as our opponents”.
Commenting on allegations made by other parties, that BJP was playing the same cards in Telangana that it has in West Bengal, Reddy said, “It was (West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief) Mamata Bannerjee who flared up the ‘Jai Sriram’ slogan issue. In West Bengal, Indian Muslims are supporting BJP. The Muslims from Bangaldesh are supporting TMC.”
Reddy recalled that BJP never propagated politics based on religion in Telangana. “We never preached religion, yet we won four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana. Has the TRS lost seven LS seats due to religion? No. The people are in favour of change. The BJP will pursue politics of development, not religion,” he said.