HYDERABAD: The BJP’s decision to hold the November 2 “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy” rally in Hyderabad, rather than in another city in the country, points to the importance it attaches to consolidating its base in Telangana. With Union Home Minister Amit Shah expected to attend the rally at Tank Bund, the party is treating the event as more than a show of strength by its state unit.
The choice of Telangana, where the Congress is in power, is particularly relevant as the BJP prepares to counter the INDIA bloc’s November 1 protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The back-to-back rallies have added a political dimension to the SIR debate. While the INDIA bloc is challenging the exercise, the BJP seeks to defend it and counter the Opposition’s allegations. By bringing Shah to Hyderabad, the party is also signalling that its campaign in Telangana has the backing of the central leadership.
The state unit is working towards a turnout of around one lakh people, with MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other leaders instructed to mobilise cadres. Shah’s participation has raised the stakes for the organisers, for whom the rally will also serve as a test of the party’s organisational strength.
The Congress has already held rallies and a ‘Chalo Lok Bhavan’ programme against the SIR process in Telangana. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, ministers, legislators and other party leaders also participated in the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
The BJP’s Hyderabad event is intended to provide a counterpoint to that mobilisation, with the state emerging as a venue for a debate being played out nationally.
The rally also comes as Telangana in-charge Sunil Bansal works to strengthen the BJP’s organisation.
BJP wants to change approach
Bansal, who played a role in the party’s expansion in Odisha and West Bengal before winning the Assembly elections there, has been asking Telangana leaders to change their working methods and improve their performance.
His close involvement in preparations for the rally reflects the importance the party leadership attaches to the state. The BJP hopes that better organisation and sustained cadre mobilisation will help it build on its existing support and mount a stronger challenge to the Congress. The November 2 gathering will offer an indication of how far the state unit can deliver on those expectations.
The BRS, meanwhile, has spoken out against the SIR, despite not being publicly aligned with either the INDIA bloc or the NDA. Its position complicates the BJP’s attempt to frame the debate as a contest between the ruling party at the Centre and the Opposition alliance.
City turns into an arena for Cong, BJP battle
The BJP’s Hyderabad event is intended to counter the protests spearheaded by the Congress against the SIR process. The choice of venue, too, reflects the saffron party’s long-term political calculations
