BJP president Amit Shah’s three-day visit to Andhra Pradesh from Monday is raising eyebrows in political circles as he is reportedly planning to revamp the functioning of the party in the state, which will face both the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
The BJP chief seems to be planning to strengthen the base of the party in order to make a foray into the state. Shah will arrive on August 28, and is scheduled to meet OBC leaders, industrialists, legislators, and educationalists of the state along with "morcha" leaders (wing-wise in-charges) and office bearers during his three-day trip.
Speaking to TNM, BJP State President K Hari Babu said "He (Amit Shah) will be in the state for three days as a part of the party's outreach program 'Sankalp Se Siddi'. There will be brainstorming and interactions with different groups."
Shah's visit is significant as it is the first visit after Venkaiah Naidu's exit from active party politics, since he became the Vice President of India.
When asked about what key issues would be discussed in these inside meetings, Hari said, "while discussing about the strengthening the party, it would include things such as taking central government welfare schemes to the people and aiming at attracting some sections "
The party chief will meet OBC leaders including Kapus. "The leadership is interested in listening to all the problems concerning the state from all the sections, including Kapus’ problem," he added.
"In 2021, it will be the 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement. Our field campaign, 'Thiranga Yatra', is to invoke a spirit of patriotism among people," he said
"This visit is party related, and any issues between the state between central governments will be dealt by the government," he said, hoping Shah's visit will boost the cadre to perform better in 2019 elections.
Speaking to TNM, Professor G Haragopal, a social scientist, said that independent establishments for BJP in AP don’t stand a chance, as the two big parties (TDP and YSRCP) have a major stronghold.
He opined that it is hard to implement Amit Shah's model of ''electioneering" in the south, especially in Telugu states, unless they (BJP) team up with someone.
"Even if they want to play the communal card, it's not possible in AP as the minorities in the state were already an integral part of the culture,” he added.
He expected that the BJP’s efforts might be fruitful in gaining ground in Telangana, as there is a considerable presence as well as visible polarization, unlike Andhra, where caste-wise divisions play a key role.
"While Chandrababu [Naidu] is an undeniable troubleshooter, Jagan [Reddy] too has been emerging as a powerful face in Andhra. Putting a check on them is over ambitious, but it can take a chance by being with either of them,” he said.
Shah has held the same sort of meetings in Telangana, including a dine-in at a Dalit household in the month of May, where he criticized the ruling TRS party, Congress and the AIMIM party. Continuing his tirade against TRS, he blamed them for non-implementation of schemes and alleged misuse of funds, drawing KCR into the scene. KCR retorted saying that “the BJP will not win even a single one of the five seats it holds now.”
Meanwhile, Amaravati is getting ready to felicitate Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, who is due to have his first-ever visit to his home state on August 26.