VIKARABAD: On Saturday afternoon, a group gathered under a huge neem tree in Mekavanampally village of Vikarabad district. At the centre of the huddle was Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, the BJP’s candidate for the Chevella Lok Sabha segment.
In an interaction with TNIE on the ninth day of his ‘Praja Ashirwada Yatra’, Vishweshwar Reddy appeared confident about his and his party’s prospects in the state.
The BJP candidate does not think of his yatra as a political campaign. He says, “It has been decided. Modi is going to come to power in India and the BJP will win Chevella. I am going to get the ashirwad (blessings) of the people before I file my nomination on April 20.”
Vishweshwar Reddy is no stranger to the Chevella Lok Sabha seat. In 2014, he was elected from the constituency on a BRS ticket. The parliamentary segment is a mixed bag, with predominantly urban constituencies like Serilingampally and Rajendranagar and predominantly rural constituencies like Vikarabad and Tandur falling under its purview.
In Vikarabad, for instance, the view seems to change with every mandal, with carrot fields making way for marigold fields. Irrigation and rural employment seem to top the former MP’s to-do list. Pointing out that a large portion of the segment is on elevated land, he said, “We are going to focus on dry land agriculture because it is medium-yield and very high profit.”
He added, “What rural employment meant in the past was employment for rural people in the city. The focus now is on employment of rural people in the rural areas.” Emphasising the importance of creatively engaging the youth, the former MP said he wants to promote avenues such as the Agnipath scheme and rural tourism.
To a query on the influence of widespread defections before the elections, he said that the effect of party-hopping was negligible when you have the people on your side.
In the same breath, Vishweshwar Reddy advised younger leaders that the only way to grow politically was to stay with the people and their sentiments. He said, “It is only the senior leaders, who are purchased or whatever you want to call it, and they are all moving in one direction. All the young leaders are coming to our side.”
The BJP candidate referred to Narendra Modi as the saffron party’s biggest asset. “For us, Modi is an asset. For them (Congress), Rahul Gandhi is a liability. Every other party except the Congress party — regional and national — are dependent on their leaders because leaders drive the party,” he said.
Vishweshwar Reddy said that he will not be surprised if the lotus blooms in all the 17 seats in Telangana, including the high-profile Hyderabad seat. He said, “My guess is it will be more than 10,” he said.
Anasuya, a resident of the village, was emphatic when asked about Modi. She said, “He is doing a lot for us. We should vote for him.”