Political Heat Set to Rise in Telangana: BJP-Congress Showdown on November 2

As winter slowly sets in, the political temperature seems to be rising, with competitive politics gaining ground. The Congress party, on the one hand, is adamant about holding its rally against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation and the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for all future elections.

On the other hand, traders are demanding that the Congress spare them an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore in business. The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have also taken a dig at the Congress, pointing out that November 1 marks the day when Delhi witnessed the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, whose wounds remain fresh in the Sikh community. They argue that holding the rally on that day would hurt Sikh sentiments. However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated that the rally was intended to protect people's voting rights, indicating that the party would go ahead with it.

Amid this political atmosphere, the Telangana BJP has decided to organise a padayatra against what it describes as the Congress party's false narrative and the “obnoxious” remarks made by Kharge, the octogenarian Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Addressing a rally in Patna on Sunday, Kharge reportedly made the remark, “Modi ka baap bhi jayega.”

The padayatra assumes significance as Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to participate in it. Apart from reiterating his claim that the Congress would be voted out of power, Shah is likely to launch a sharp attack on Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. He may also comment on the anti-SIR rally that the Congress would have held in Delhi a day earlier.

This is not the first time the Congress has made controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP leaders point out that the campaign of personal attacks began in 2014, when Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar remarked that a “chaiwala” could never become Prime Minister. Subsequently, Congress leaders used expressions such as “Maut Ka Saudagar” and “Jhooton Ka Sardar” against Modi. Rahul Gandhi, after Operation Sindoor, used the phrase “Narender Surrender”, and BJP leaders allege that he continued to target Modi over subsequent developments.

They also accused the Congress of insulting Modi's mother on several occasions. “Under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, the Congress party keeps crossing the limits of decency,” BJP leaders alleged.

Amit Shah may use the occasion to “expose” what the BJP describes as the Congress's mindset and that of the INDIA bloc, alleging that the opposition is attempting to create anarchy in the country.

The Telangana government, too, is likely to come under attack over its reluctance to officially celebrate September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day.

Counter-protests by the Congress cannot be ruled out, as the state BJP has called for the burning of Congress effigies at all district headquarters to protest Kharge's remarks.

Meanwhile, Telangana BJP president N Ramachandra Rao on Monday criticised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for leading Congress leaders and workers to New Delhi to attend the party's rally scheduled for November 1.

Rao said the Chief Minister should first focus on resolving the water crisis and addressing other public grievances rather than repeatedly rushing to Delhi for rallies and protests. He pointed out that Revanth Reddy had also visited Delhi when Rahul Gandhi recently led a rally to the Supreme Court.

According to Rao, nearly 300 of Telangana's 600 mandals were facing drought-like conditions, while around 8,000 water tanker bookings were being made in Hyderabad alone.

He called on BJP workers to burn Congress effigies at all district headquarters in Telangana on Monday in protest against Kharge's remarks.

Accusing the Congress of spreading misinformation about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Rao challenged Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to accompany him to the latter's native village of Kondareddypalle to verify how many voters' names had been deleted from the electoral rolls.

Rao maintained that if any genuine voters' names were deleted during the SIR exercise, there was a provision to have them restored. The facility was available to all eligible voters, he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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