BJP national secretary Y Satya Kumar, in a candid chat with TNIE Special Correspondent S Guru Srikanth, speaks about the party’s future plans for Andhra Pradesh, where the party is weak compared to other States, and how the party proposes to expose the State government’s ‘failures’. Excerpts from the interview.
What is BJP’s action plan for AP?
Organisationally, we are weak in the State. We don’t have booth committee-level strength. Our primary objective is to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. We want to make the party self-sustainable at mandal level, which we call Swasakth Mandal - Sakriya Booth (Self Reliant mandals - Active booths). We are adopting a multi-pronged strategy.
What is the multi-pronged strategy?
Besides strengthening the party at the grassroots level, our focus is to highlight the achievements of the NDA government and how it helped Andhra Pradesh. Any development and welfare scheme being implemented in the State is funded by the Centre. Around 60 to 90 per cent of the funding of any scheme, be it PM Awas Yojana, PM Grameen Sadak Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission or Health Mission, is being borne by the Centre with an objective to change the living standards of the poor. We want to explain this to the people of the State. The other strategy is to expose the State government’s failures.
When you say, expose the State government, what do you mean?
For example, Samagra Shiksha Yojana. Around 14 lakh students from the State are registered for scholarships. However, it is being projected as Jagananna Vidya Deevena. Under the National Health Scheme, thousands of primary health centres are constructed or renovated, 104, 108 services, their salaries, everything is paid by the Government of India, but it is being claimed as State’s own projects.
Are you saying that the State government has hijacked the Central welfare schemes and claimed them as its own?
Exactly. That is what is happening. You see, for any welfare scheme, the Centre does not have any prefix with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name. However, in AP, it is either Jagananna or his father’s name. We want to create awareness among people about what is fact and who is funding all these schemes.
You are in charge of Uttar Pradesh, where BJP has achieved a massive victory in the recent Assembly elections. Will the party adopt a similar kind of strategy in Andhra Pradesh, with elections just another 19-20 months away?
I am not saying the BJP will form the government or will be an alternative in the State in 2024. We are trying to strengthen ourselves in the State. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, we fought on the plank of development. It was politics of performance, politics of development.
How about Andhra Pradesh?
As we are not in power, our strategy is to strengthen the party, encourage more joining from other parties and create an atmosphere so that intellectuals will flock to the party. Since the BJP is not a force to reckon with in the State, even party sympathisers think their vote would go waste, if voted to us. It is a fact that our graph went down in recent years from the point where we had around 19 per cent vote share. It is also a fact that some of our leaders have fallen victim to the mind games of these regional parties. It is time to introspect as to what went wrong and where, and take corrective measures.
Could you elaborate on the 19per cent vote share?
It was never below 3 per cent. In 1983, we had no alliance, we got four seats despite the NTR wave. In 1989, we allied with the TDP and got four seats. The TDP was a sinking ship, we too lost along with that party at that time. In 1994, we also got 3.5 per cent votes. In the 1998 general elections, we contested on our own. We got four MP seats and 19 per cent vote share.
But, the tempo could not be maintained...
True, the tempo could not be maintained. Having an alliance with the TDP in the 1999 Assembly elections was a historical blunder. We could have won more seats on our own.
You say it was a historical blunder, but you repeated the same in subsequent elections. Why?
It was a political compulsion. In 2014, the State was divided unscientifically and unethically by the Congress government. Interests of the State were not protected. The BJP thought the State’s interests were more paramount to that of the party, so we had an alliance with the TDP. We thought of taking corrective measures.
But what went wrong? Why the TDP came out of the alliance?
It was all related to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The NDA implemented 80 per cent of the provisions in the Act. Several national educational institutions were established in the State, which had only one Central organisation - RSVP. In the case of Polavaram, it was the Modi government, in its very first cabinet meeting decided to merge seven mandals from Telangana with AP. Later, the Centre agreed to bear the entire cost of the Polavaram project, instead of 90:10 ratio.
The BJP is often attacking the ruling YSRC in the State on financial situation and welfare initiatives. But the State is implementing reforms introduced by the Centre and borrowing at increased FRBM limits? What is wrong with it?
Reforms are meant to help the States in both welfare and development activities. What the YSRC government is doing is only focusing on welfare measures and there is no development in the State. Moreover, the majority of the welfare measures are sponsored and funded by the Centre. The State is even diverting funds from BC and SC sub-plans, MGNREGA and other schemes in the name of welfare measures. Further, it is also borrowing left and right. The question here is, where have those funds gone?
What about alliances with other political parties now?
It is too premature to talk about political alliances now. As of now, we are in alliance with the Jana Sena Party
There seems to be a shortage of second-generation leaders in the party.
That’s not true. Unlike family-run parties like TDP and YSRC, we don’t publicise our future leaders. Capable leaders get due credit. Young leadership is being nurtured through Yuva Morcha and experts are being roped in.
Will there be a change in the party’s State leadership?
As of now, there are no such plans. Once every three years, the BJP leadership is changed and accordingly changes will happen.