Days after a mega conclave of Opposition parties, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president, KT Rama Rao, on Sunday said, "Our fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections should be based on principal issues before the country, but unfortunately, we seem to be obsessed with dislodging someone from power."
Rama Rao, who is a state minister and son of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, also asserted, "Our party will never compromise on the issue of core welfare principles for the country." He emphasised that the BRS will form an alliance only with those political parties with which they see a common agenda for the benefit of the people. "The fight should be on principal issues before the country," he told in an interview here. "Unfortunately, we are losing the plot there. We seem to be obsessed and worried about dislodging someone or putting somebody there, and that should not be the agenda. The agenda should be how the basic priorities of the country have to be met."
Rama Rao expressed his concern about the lack of clarity in the Opposition's approach. "You should not be uniting against somebody. You should be uniting for something. What is that something, nobody is able to figure out," he said, referring to the meeting of 16 opposition parties held in Patna on Friday to forge unity against the BJP in the 2024 General Elections. The BRS did not attend the meeting hosted by JD(U) supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The BRS working president indicated that the party is willing to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on its own and make an impactful beginning by winning a sizeable number of seats. The BRS, formerly known as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), was rechristened and registered as a national party in October last year. The next Assembly polls in the state are due by the end of this year.
Rama Rao reiterated his belief that alliances centered around the Congress or the BJP would not succeed, as these national parties have been a "disaster" for the country. He stressed the importance of political parties aligning on a principle welfare agenda that matters to the country. "What matters to the country today is the creation of employment, wealth for farmers, irrigation, and rural livelihood," he said. "These are things that matter, not hijab or halal and 'bakwas' around religion." Rama Rao asserted that the BRS is opposed to those parties which have hindered the development of India.
"Those two principal parties are the BJP and Congress," he claimed. "The Congress governed for 50 years, while the BJP for 15 years. Had both worked properly, this situation would not have arisen." He blamed both parties for the country's lagging progress.
On the participation of regional leaders, Mamata Banerjee (TMC) and Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), in the Patna meeting, Rama Rao said, "You have to understand they have their own agendas and set of priorities and own vision for the country. I cannot find fault with Kejriwal or Banerjee for attending the meeting.