With a sharp focus on Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the BJP on Monday sought to claim the political legacy of former Prime Minister P V Narsimha Rao on his birthday by accusing the Congress of disrespecting the 'tallest Telugu Bidda'.
BJP, which has almost replaced Congress as the main Opposition party in Telangana, is also trying to push out Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh and be the main challenger to the ruling YSR Congress before the next assembly polls in 2024.
"Congress family has systematically erased the memory of all other leaders be it Sardar Patel or Narsimha Rao, ..BJP respects leaders across the spectrum, 100th birth anniversary of Rao is an important milestone but forgotten by Congress", said BJP's Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao.
Talking to The Pioneer, Rao said the late Prime Minister is "the tallest Telugu bidda and he is not only a politician but a multidimensional personality..the real father of market reforms".
Late Prime Minister's grandson N V Subhash, who is a BJP's spokesperson in Telangana, has also accused Congress and its president Sonia Gandhi of sidelining the contributions made by Rao and attributing him with the failures of the party. He has stated that after the death of Narasimha Rao in 2004, Sonia and other Congress leaders did not speak about the contributions of the former Prime Minister or remember him.
Union Minister of State G Kishan Reddy, who hails from Telangana, hit-out at the Congress for not acknowledging Rao's contribution saying BJP will accord him the respect that the late leader always deserved and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to remember Rao's work as Prime Minister.
BJP is aggressively pushing itself in Telangana as was reflected in its high-powered campaign in Hyderabad local elections where it occupied second place after the TRS.