Caste card politics by Telangana, AP makes BJP edgy

Hyderabad: The caste card politics by political parties from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the predominantly Telugu areas in Karnataka is making the bosses of Bharatiya Janata Party uneasy in several Assembly segments in that State.

According to party sources, notwithstanding the BJP wearing a brave face, there is an uneasy calm when it comes to Assembly segments bordering Andhra Pradesh, where people from AP have been settled in last 50 years.

Speaking to The Hans India, BJP leaders from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who have visited some places with a considerable percentage of Telugu voters, said that they could clearly see the heat generated after an appeal made by AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urging them not to go with BJP.

Adding, there is a marked difference in places like Bellary and Sindhunuru as well as rural camps like Venkateswara and Budiwada. These places are with considerable percentage of Telugu people who practice cultivation and other similar vocations.

“Even an earlier diehard fan of BJP is now harbouring a grouse against it. BJP’s denial of according Special Category Status (SCS) to AP is adding salt to the wound and there is no difference between Congress and BJP. This feeling had gone down well with them in the aftermath of Naidu's fervent appeal to them,” said a BJP leader.

The situation has been further aggravated for BJP in these segments following Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao joining the chorus against the BJP.

What is worrying the BJP is the TDP going all out to rock the BJP boat in several segments. For this, it has chosen several senior leaders and ministers from Rayalaseema and Guntur, Krishna and West Godavari districts as most of the people settled in the quasi-urban and rural areas in the border areas between AP and Karnataka had migrated from those districts.

Now, the ministers have been approaching them asking to lend their support by defeating BJP as it had humiliated their home State.

However, the silver lining for the BJP is that now the YSRCP leaders from Rayalaseema are pitching in to lend party’s support to the BJP. Accordingly, they are approaching the Telugu people settled in Karnataka from Rayalaseema to vote for BJP. “Further, the TDP emissaries from AP are reaching out to people belonging to one prominent caste. To give back in the same coin, now, the YSRCP fielders are approaching people and leaders belonging to another dominant caste from Rayalaseema residing there,” the sources added.

With this, the whole scenario has been changing as if it is TDP vs YSRCP and not Congress vs BJP or Siddharamaiah vs Yeddyurappa. Against this backdrop, the BJP efforts to rope in leaders like MP Bandaru Dattatreya, TS state president Dr K Laxman, MLA G Kishan Reddy and others to talk to Telugu people in Karnataka seem to have little effect on them, the sources pointed out.

However, when asked BJP LP leader from Telangana G Kishan Reddy expressed the confidence that Telugu people in Karnataka were solidly backing the party. “Efforts of the Chandras from AP and TS against BJP in Karnataka will not succeed,” he said.