While opposition parties plan a united front against BJP, BRS opts to go solo

As all the main opposition parties head to Patna for the unity conclave on June 23, K. Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS party is trying to carve its independent identity. The party is on an expansion mode ever since it changed the name Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi to reflect its national aspirations. The party has already made inroads into Maharashtra, set up a party unit in Madhya Pradesh with the inclusion of several activists, while in Haryana, farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni has been roped in to lead its expansion in the state.

The mainstay of BRS’ national outreach is engaging with the farmers in different states by showcasing its Telangana model of governance. The state government provides Rs 10,000 per acre per year as subsidy, a life cover of Rs 5 lakh, 24-hour electricity supply, and has set up clusters every 5,000 acres where government officials discuss issues of farmers and address their grievances. Despite its several welfare schemes, Telangana is a revenue-surplus state. The party is also showcasing that its government provides Dalits Rs 10 lakh to start self-employment.

Sources said BRS is expanding its reach in states where farmers are a potent electoral constituency as they constitute over 50 per cent of the population of the country which is sufficient to win elections. This explains its initial forays into Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The party is in talks with leaders in other states in the Hindi heartland to expand its reach. While other parties are focusing on welfare schemes for women and youth, BRS has picked up a specific group to start with. The party may announce a major guarantee for farmers in terms of free power and water ahead of the 2024 elections, sources said. ‘Ab ki baar Kisan Sarkar’ is BRS slogan.

As part of its expansion plans, the BRS is also opening party offices in these states and has arranged vehicles for campaigns. It is also setting up smaller panels in villages dedicated to different social groups like women, youth, Dalits, OBCs, tribals, farmers, minority communities, students, and retired personnel. The party aims to equip its offices with modern technology and would provide each village committee leadership with gadgets to expand its social media network. The party also aims to run langar (community kitchen) at its main offices which will provide free food to around 600 people, including cadre.

In Madhya Pradesh, which goes to the election later this year, BRS roped in key social activist Anand Rai, who was instrumental in exposing the Vyapam scam. "Tribal rights organisation Jai Adivasi Yuvashakti Sangathan (JAYS) also declared its support to the party," BRS said in a statement last week.

In May, BRS held a two-day training camp for its cadre in Nanded, Maharashtra, where newly enrolled members from all 288 assembly constituencies participated. Telangana chief minister had hinted that new leadership would be groomed in 45,000 villages and 5,000 odd municipal wards in Maharashtra. BRS is in the process of setting up party offices in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Marathwada.

After Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, the BRS will train its focus on Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, sources said. The BRS has positioned itself as ideologically opposed to the BJP, which is also trying hard to gain foothold in Telangana which will go to polls later this year.

The expansion plans of the BRS could upset parties opposed to the BJP as the party is drawing its new members from them. The big test for the party will come when these states go to the polls. The jury is still out.