KTR takes responsibility, lists out reasons for electoral loss, urges cadre not to blame it on people

HYDERABAD: KTR, on Friday, expounded reasons that led to the party’s defeat in the recent Assembly elections.

What’s very inspiring is that he demonstrated courage of an evolved and mature leader when he announced that he was taking the complete responsibility for whatever that had gone wrong.

Stating that the “car” (election symbol of the BRS) has just gone for servicing and not to the shed permanently, KTR said discrepancies in Dalit Bandhu and Rythu Bandhu caused jealousy and heartburn among those sections. Focus on governance and ignoring the party had cost very dearly.

Driving into a mode of introspection, the BRS working president said not building a strong party organisation and failing to take care of the financial needs of workers did cause huge loss to the party.

KTR urged the leaders to refrain from blaming the people of Telangana for the defeat of the BRS in the elections. He highlighted the fact that the party had played a crucial role in the formation of Telangana, and it was the responsibility of the leaders to work together and regain the trust of the people.

Speaking at a preparatory meeting for parliamentary elections of the Bhuvanagiri Lok Sabha constituency, he emphasised the need for introspection and learning from past mistakes. He urged the leaders to focus on addressing the issues faced by the people and work towards their welfare. He stated that the party needed to strengthen its roots at the grassroots level and ensure that the benefits of governance reached every citizen of Telangana.

Here are the factors that KTR attributed to the defeat of the party in recent elections on this occasion

He said the party focused more on administration and ignored its organisational structure, failed to properly recognise and integrate members from other parties. The party's centralisation in constituencies and the neglect of party workers' financial conditions also played a role.

Moreover, the direct delivery of government schemes to beneficiaries without the involvement of party activists broke the link between voters and party workers.

Despite the distribution of a large number of ration cards and pensions, these initiatives were not effectively communicated to the masses.

The Dalit Bandhu scheme was seen as causing an economic divide and ignited anger against the party among those who were no benefitted. This led to resentment and opposition from others.

Read More: Had BRS focussed on publicity than work, it could have won, says KTR

Even farmers who benefited from the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which provided financial assistance to land-owning farmers, did not support the party, as the assistance was extended to all landowners irrespective of the size of the landholdings. Those with lesser landholdings turned their ire against the government.

To regain support, the BRS needed to address these issues and improve its communication and connection with the people at the grassroots level.

He said they should also focus on strengthening the party's organisational structure and ensuring inclusivity for members from different backgrounds.

Stating that the party leaders were regularly updating BRS chief and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) about the views discussed in the daily review and pointed out

KTR mentioned that the Congress party was intentionally provoking them, despite their intention to fully support the new Congress government. He claimed that the Congress party deliberately provoked them through the Governor's speech.

KTR informed the party members that due to these provocative actions, they had been pushed to a point where they had to give a strong response. As a result, they had to reject the baseless allegations made by the Congress party.

KTR expressed concern that although KCR had advised the newly elected government to exercise restraint for some time, the Congress government was not following that advice.

He stated that instead of building a path for cooperation, the newly-elected government was trying to provoke the opposition.

KTR argued that the Congress party was playing games to gain people's trust through the use of white papers, making promises that they couldn’t fulfil. He emphasised that the people were aware of their tactics.

KTR indicated the possibility that if KCR attended the Assembly, the situation would be even more difficult for the Congress to compete.

He asserted that there were 420 promises made by the government, including six guarantees.

He alleged that the Congress government had already gone back on promises such as the unemployment allowance and the national status for Palamuru Ranga Reddy.

KTR mentioned that people in rural areas were already losing patience due to frequent power cuts.

Read More: KTR warns of Congress deception as BRS confidently gears up for Lok Sabha battle

He highlighted the plight of women passengers and autorickshaw drivers who were facing significant difficulties due to lack of an adequate number of buses.

KTR demanded swift action from the government to address these issues. Otherwise, it would lead to dissatisfaction among the public.

He said that he was not demanding immediate fulfilment of the promises but reminded everyone to deliver on the commitments made on December 9.

KTR criticised the government's decision to halt the Rythu Bandhu scheme, which provided financial assistance to farmers, in favour of prioritising other groups. He viewed this as evidence of the government's anti-farmer stance.

The party's working president urged the party workers and leaders to showcase their determination in the upcoming local body elections and raise the party's flag high in the parliamentary elections.

Claiming that the BRS had got a 37 per cent vote share, losing by just 1.72 per cent votes, KTR directed the leaders and cadre to work hard to get a five per cent vote additionally and make BRS win all the 17 parliament seats.