BC leaders in BJP and Congress face targeted campaigns in Telangana

Targeted campaigns against TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud and BJP MP Etala Rajender have triggered discussions about internal differences within the Congress and BJP. The developments have also raised concerns among BC leaders and community members over their political representation

Hyderabad: Senior leaders from the Backward Classes (BC) community in the BJP and Congress state units are facing targeted campaigns aimed at defaming them, reflecting the rifts within the parties.

Recently, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud was described as a “disaster leader” in a report aired by a television news channel. Now, BJP MP from Malkajgiri Etala Rajender has come under a similar attack. Posters and flexies targeting Rajender have appeared at several locations in Malkajgiri and within the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation limits. The posters accuse him of obstructing the BJP’s growth in Telangana for personal interests and describe him as a “curse to the BJP”.

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Notably, both Mahesh Kumar Goud and Etala Rajender belong to the BC community. While Goud was targeted through a report aired by a channel considered supportive of the Congress, political circles are speculating that some leaders within the BJP may be behind the campaign against Rajender. The two incidents have brought internal differences within the parties into focus, particularly between BC leaders and others. The belief that these developments were deliberate rather than accidental has further fuelled speculation about growing rifts within both parties.

Senior BJP leaders, including State president N Ramchander Rao, have strongly condemned the campaign against Rajender. Speaking to the media in New Delhi, Rao alleged that BJP leaders in Telangana were being deliberately targeted. He said attempts were being made to create divisions among party leaders. “Our leaders are in no way connected with the posters and flexies defaming our MP Etala Rajender,” Rao said.

In the case of the TPCC president, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said the Congress had no connection with the report aired by the news channel. “We both enjoy a good relationship,” he said during an informal interaction with select media persons last week. Despite these assertions from party leaders, there is a growing sense of unease within the BC community.

The BJP had already faced criticism for not appointing a BC leader to head the State unit. Similarly, the targeting of the TPCC president has not gone down well with sections of the BC wing of the Congress. The community is also unhappy with the Congress government for not fulfilling its promise of providing 42 per cent reservation for BCs in local body elections.