The Narrative After the India-Pakistan Match has Laid Bare the Bigotry of Indian Journalism

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

Many on the social media have (rightly) claimed that one of the best positive side effects of India’s loss to Pakistan in the World Cup was that we got to see the celebrations that happen in India when Pakistan wins. For a very long time, Pakistan didn’t get to beat India, so an entire generation was almost growing up without knowing the fact that there exist many places where the victory of Pakistan over India is celebrated with full vigour. Sunanda Vashisht had articulated this back in 2014 itself, but that article was in the danger of being relegated as a relic of the past. The reality however is in stark contrast to the information that has been force fed upon us, all these years.

I am not the one making the claim of being force fed information. This revelation came straight from the horses’ mouths! Waqar Younus proudly announced that the best moment for him during the match was when Rizwan did Namaz in front of so many Hindus. The entire media gang in India were shocked at this statement. No, they were not shocked at the utter bigotry of the statement. They were shocked that Waqar had spoiled all their best laid plans of suppressing this bigotry. Harsha Bhogle wrote “A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible.”

I don’t understand this terrible need to “play such things down” when “such things” can lead to disastrous consequences for the sport as well as to the country. Why would someone like Harsha Bhogle not want to call out this bigotry? How many times in the past has this lot tried to “play such things down”? Also, it would have been real enlightening to know who this “lot of us” are. However, in discussing about Harsha Bhogle’s tweet, I do not want to miss discussing the larger gameplan of the ringleader of this circus – Shekhar Gupta.

His disappointment with Waqar Younis’ tweet was on similar lines. “It’s disappointing only because it shuts up those few like us who’ve been batting for resuming bilateral sports with Pakistan.” Though it actually didn’t shut him up (I don’t think there is anyone born yet who can shut up the running commentary of Shekhar Gupta), this tweet actually baffled lakhs of people in India. Why would anyone bat for resuming bilateral sports with Pakistan? Has Shekhar Gupta forgotten that as recently as 2 months ago, the New Zealand cricket team flew out of Pakistan over scares of a terrorist attack? That the England team refused to travel to Pakistan because of terrorist attacks? That the Sri Lankan team was actually attacked on the soil of Pakistan? Is Shekhar Gupta yearning for such an incident to happen to the Indian cricket team so that he can then feast on that news?

With various police departments filing cases against those who celebrated the victory of Pakistan, this gang went about sharing the Chennai incident from 1999. Pakistan had beaten India in a thrilling test match by 12 runs. The Pakistan team was given a standing ovation by the crowd in the stadium when they did their victory lap. The ringleader of the circus sent out an abrupt and confusing tweet while recollecting this incident.

“That was a brilliant phase in India-Pakistan ties. Afterwards, India under Rahul Dravid toured Pakistan, won Test and ODI series there, and were similarly lionised and celebrated by crowds. Our pacer Balaji became a rock star of sorts there…the period was too good to last”

The ”brilliant phase” he refers to is from 1999 to 2006 (the Chennai test was in 1999 and India under Rahul Dravid toured Pak in 2006). Between 1999 and 2006, Pakistan or Pakistan backed terror organistions have:

• Attacked us in Kargil – nearly 500 Indian soldiers lost their lives and needless to say the untold burden that war brings on a nation.
• Hiijacked one of our civilian flights in 1999.
• Attacked Red Fort in 2000
• Attacked Indian Parliament in 2001
• Attacked Akshardham temple in 2002
• Attacked Mumbai multiple times in 2005
• Attacked various places in India (Ayodhya, Charar-e-Sharif, J&K etc.)

Doesn’t it baffle your mind that Shekhar Gupta terms this phase as “brilliant”? Well, it doesn’t baffle me. Unwittingly, he has (yet again) showed to us the worst side of Indian journalism. He has showed us the side that seeks to suppress information; the side that seeks to impose a narrative and expects us to follow it; the side that doesn’t’ hesitate to downplay loss of lives; the side that seeks to thrive on tragedy; the side that abhors any kind of criticism; and the side that can’t digest the fact that today’s India is better informed than they wish it to be.

It speaks volumes of their nature when members of the English media (circus) are sad that their best laid plans have gone haywire but are not sad that they supported or suppressed this bigotry all these years. Like everyone said – it’s good that we lost to Pakistan in this match – because it did expose many people outside the sport.

PS: If Shekhar Gupta was indeed referring to just a “brilliant phase” in cricketing ties between 1999 to 2006, then there is only one “brilliant phase” -Sachin Tendulkar hitting that bigot Shoaib Akhtar for a six in World Cup 2003.

Trivialization of vaccination milestone epitomizes Sonia Gandhi’s political immaturity

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

Days after the country celebrated 100 crore COVID vaccine doses achievement, the President of the mighty Indian National Congress, Sonia Gandhi, has bestowed us with her illuminating thoughts in an article in The Hindu newspaper today. Titled – “The vaccination milestone and a distant goal”, her article has enlightened us on how bad our vaccination drive has been and will be in the future too.

Sample this enlightening statement: “even though there are only two countries in the world that are called upon to reach this level of coverage and we were not the first to do so”. See, you dimwits? Only two countries in the world are required to get to 100 crore doses, so what’s so great about it? Also, we must all still trust the numbers from the other country (with whom the mighty Congress party signed an MoU) and therefore must take every opportunity to belittle our country. Since we are all not able to see things so clearly, Sonia Gandhi has taken time out from her busy schedule to enlighten us with this knowledge.

Also, what’s so great about 100 crore vaccine doses? Because Sonia Gandhi today tells us – “Countries with comparable COVID-19 figures and even those with smaller or poorer economies have performed much better.” Which smaller or poorer economies have performed better? When she says “comparable COVID-19 figures”, what numbers is she comparing with? She provides no examples to sustain her claim. Well, afterall, why should she? It is for the reader to take her at face value and not question her abundant knowledge and grasp of these numbers. The congress cadre know you can never question THE family. It is now for mortal readers to know the same.

She exhibits her immense knowledge of the vaccine process by telling us that “Not only that, the gap between the proportion of the population that has got at least one dose and two doses is widest in India. This gap is likely a result of domestic supply falling short of the demand.” India is currently using three vaccines – Covishield (a gap of 12-16 weeks); Covaxin (a gap of 28 days); Sputnik (a gap of 21 days). Nearly 85 crore doses of Covishield have been delivered – and therefore the gap between 1st and 2nd dose will obviously be large. But Sonia Gandhi attributes this scientific decision to “domestic supply falling short of the demand”. It doesn’t matter that it has been scientifically proven that Covishield offers greater protection after the first dose compared to others and therefore the second dose can be given 12-16 weeks later.

She then shows her general knowledge on matters of current importance. “Moreover, the Government is yet to roll out a plan to inoculate our children who could be particularly vulnerable to future waves. We must protect our children urgently so they can go back to school.” Yet to roll out a plan? We are probably just a week or two away before the Zydus-Cadila vaccine will be available for vaccinating the 12-18 year old! So, they can go back to school? Schools across the country have opened up, including in the Congress ruled states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Punjab! Was this article written much earlier but sent for publication only yesterday?

We are then told that the government “must work out a plan, based on scientific advice, for booster shots, like other countries have done.” Well, if it is to be based on scientific advice, does Sonia Gandhi give us any references of such available advice for Covishield and Covaxin? As usual, no data is presented to make the case stronger. It’s mere rhetoric with the assumption that the reader needs to grasp the implications of what the mighty queen is saying.

And before we forget, she also tells us that the 100 crore vaccine doses achievement has been possible because of the “Patents Act, 1970”. Of course, it is the benevolence of the mighty Congress party that we are able to succeed today.

Sonia Gandhi also spends significant amount of time reminding us of the horrors of the second wave. I am no fan of the delayed response by at least two weeks by the central government to an emerging crisis. But I will never view it in isolation of the state governments. The Congress state governments were at the forefront of some real mismanagement too. Sonia Gandhi can write all she wants – people of the country have become mature enough to know when to blame and when to celebrate. The question is – when will the Congress party become mature like that?

Why is ‘The Hindu’ hell-bent on instigating Chief Ministers against the Central Government?

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it below for reference:

Over the past 7 ½  years, the ruling parties in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have supported the Modi government on certain issues and have opposed him vehemently on certain issues too. However, their support to the Modi government despite not being from the BJP has disturbed the English media folks a lot. In an Op-Ed published on Ocotber 14th in The Hindu, a “senior journalist” tells us that “Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrasekhara Rao are lending legitimacy to the BJP’s one-nation agenda”

Now, you would be thinking who would be having a problem with an agenda such as “one-nation” that binds the entire country together. The article provides great insights into the demented minds of the English media who have invented new agendas for Modi to further their own agenda of spreading lies and inciting hatred against the Prime Minister.

The author begins his article with a long list of pending demands from the states of AP and Telangana. He ends this section by saying that “Despite their customary visits to Delhi…the Chief Ministers have scrupulously avoided making these long-pending problems a big Centre-State federal issue of national importance. They prefer to maintain a strategic silence.”

Which state doesn’t have long pending issues? When the Chief Ministers of various states meet the Prime Minister, does the author think each one of them doesn’t present a similar list to the Prime Minister? Does the author think that the list of a BJP CM will be shorter than the list of a non-BJP CM? Should every CM start be making their list of pending issues as a Centre-State federal issue, and cause confusion?

In my opinion, the only injustice meted out to the people of Andhra Pradesh by the Modi government is the fall back on the promise of a special status. Special status was seen as a lifeline to the new state of Andhra Pradesh and this was not given to the state as promised. Other demands listed by the author such as “restructuring of debts of Rs. 50,000 crores in which the Andhra Pradesh power utilities” are not part of the reorganization act. Why should the centre restructure the debts of the state?!

And then the lies – “They prefer to maintain a strategic silence”. Does the author really not listen to KCR, his son KTR and all of the ministers? Day in and day out these days, all we hear from these folks is that the Central government is not helping the state of Telangana. KCR thunders about this in the Assembly and in his public meeting. KTR thunders about this on twitter and in his public meetings. Who exactly is the author listening to, that he is so totally unaware of the vehement opposition of KCR? Or is the author’s case that happen what may, the state governments must just blindly oppose the central government?

It definitely seems so because he says that “Notably, both the YSR Congress Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supported the revocation of Article 370”. The author seems miffed at this non-binary behaviour by the regional parties in India because he just seems to assume that they have to blindly oppose whatever the central government does! And to bolster his argument, he wonders thus – “Why has the battle for federalism been left to leaders like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee?” Does the author want state CMs to reject central schemes such as PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat for the sake of his imaginary concept of “federalism”?

The abrogation of Article 370 isn’t the only problem that the author has with the Modi government. In his own words – “the multiple ways in which it creates trouble in West Bengal and Maharashtra”. It’s a miracle that the author really believes that it is the BJP that is creating trouble in West Bengal when it is actually the BJP workers who are being killed on a regular basis there. I wonder how the author and the newspaper cannot see their blatant hypocrisy in the mirror.

Not content with the lies spread, the author reserves his best towards the last - “the two leaders are either unable to fathom or conveniently ignore the BJP’s centralising tendencies and its attempts to implement its idea of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’, ‘One Nation One Election’, ‘One Nation One Language’.”

Why is the author opposed to the idea of “One Nation One Ration Card”? Who in their right mind will be opposed to the idea that simplifies the lives of crores of migrants in our country? Why is the author opposed to the concept of One Nation One Election? Does he care to elucidate any of his objections? Obviously not. Does the concept of “One Nation One Language” even exist in any official document? Has the Prime Minister ever talked about this concept? If anything, the Prime Minister has been at the forefront of promoting the multiple languages in the country. Yet, The Hindu provides ample space to the author to spread lies as much as he fancies.

The author spends significant amount of time praising former Chief Minister NTR, who rode to power in 1983 withing just nine months of announcing a political party. His primary plank was the pride of Telugus that was being mortgaged by the Congress leaders to their high command culture. The author rues the fact that today’s Chief Ministers are not like NTR. He asks “So, what happened to the fighting spirit of the Chief Ministers and political leaders from Andhra and Telangana?”.

In the 32 years from 1982 to 2014, the Congress was voted into power for 15 years – does this mean that people were ok with the mortgaging of telugu pride to the central government for 15 years after NTR won too? It’s such a sad reflection that authors have to fall back to a leader from nearly 40 years back to make a point in today’s politics, when the people have constantly been voting for a change.

The author is also worried that KCR and Jagan are indirectly enabling BJP to grow stronger. Does the author really not see the opposition that BJP is putting up against TRS in Telangana? Does the author really not see the dislike for BJP in Andhra Pradesh? Does he really think that the BJP is in a position to grow in Andhra Pradesh (leave aside growing stronger!). How is it possible for a political observer and a “senior journalist” to even assume that the BJP is growing stronger in Andhra Pradesh?

The hatred that the author (and of course The Hindu) has for the Prime Minister is so evident in the entire article. He is unable to fathom the fact that Chief Ministers of various states are still able to work well with the central government on issues that matter. It looks like the author wants to somehow be instrumental in instigating the CMs against the central government. What better platform than The Hindu to spew illogical arguments against the Modi government?

Rahul Gandhi, the Dictator

 The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference

We were told some two years back that Sonia Gandhi will be interim President of the Congress. She took over from her son, who took over from her in 2017. Leader after leader in the party has demanded that the party should have a full time President who is visible and active. Report after report in the English media referred to her as the interim President of the Congress. After two years, Sonia Gandhi couldn’t take it anymore. In the Congress Working Committee meeting on Ocotber 16th, she thundered – “I am, if you will allow me to say so, a full-time and hands on Congress president.” So, the interim President of the Congress party declared herself to be the full-time President of the Congress party in the CWC meeting! So much for being wedded to democratic ethos and all that!

The meeting proceeded to discuss the next agenda item – to beg Rahul Gandhi to take over as the President of the party from his mother, in the presence of his mother. The loop is dizzy – The son took over from mother; the mother took over from the son; the son will not take over from the mother! Rahul Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi was also present in the meeting by virtue of her well-earned position of party general secretary. News reports have told us that “Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was among a host of leaders who asked Mr. Gandhi “to lead the action””.

I had moist eyes while reading report after report about this family drama, that will put any well scripted TV drama to shame. I can very well imagine the poignant mood in the room where the 50 others assembled would have been wiping their tears hearing Mother, Son and Daughter figure out amongst themselves how to be benevolent and accept the courtiers wishes. Finally, Rahul Gandhi found the right words to bestow his benevolence. He said, “I will consider”.

Can you imagine the eruption of joy in the room at the large heartedness of Rahul Gandhi for agreeing to “consider” their request? The joy would have been short lived because Rahul Gandhi had conditions attached for his benevolence. What were they?

In his trademark style he spoke without clarity. He apparently wanted the Congress party to decide where it stands on the “question of ideology”. In the past 24 years, his mother was President for 21 years. He was President for ~3 years. And today he thought it fit to ask the very party that he and his mother led for nearly 25 years on where it stands on ideology! Quite expectedly, those in the room would have been confused with this intellectual observation. So, Rahul Gandhi decided to be further benevolent and give examples.

The first example he gave was how he was stopped from visiting the family of Akhlaq in 2015. In the year 2015, his mother was President of the party. Full-time President. Rahul Gandhi was Vice President of the party. How can anyone prevent him from going to anywhere he wanted to go? He would have received advice from a variety of people on whether to go or not to go. Ultimately, it is up to the mother and son to decide what best to do for the party. If Rahul Gandhi decided to heed to the advice of one group of the party in 2015, why is he blaming them now for being “stopped”? If he wanted to, there was nobody in the Congress party who would dare to stop him, with the exception of his mother perhaps. So, was Rahul Gandhi attacking his own mother in the party forum?

The second example he gave was about his visit to Hathras last year. I don’t know what the problem here is. He did go to Hathras. He did stage that famous drama of falling on the road while walking, making him a laughing stock. Was he blaming someone for giving him the advice of staging that laughable drama? We have pro-Congress journalists telling us that Rahul Gandhi wants all the old guard out and that’s why the “elections” to the post of Congress President will be held a year from now.

He’s done a similar attack on his partymen after the 2019 loss too. He blamed them for not listening to him. In one of his rants later, he even went to the extent of screaming that “Even if the whole country is on one side, I will be on the other side”. This statement led us to wonder why a leader of a political party in any country would be against the whole country. Don’t you find it amusing that he blames the people instead of himself and his family for the mess that the party is in.

What does all this say about Rahul Gandhi? It says that he does not want to listen to any advice coming from his party cadre and leaders. It says that he will not tolerate any contradictory opinions to his. It says that he demands unquestioning loyalty even when disaster is looming on the party because of him. It says that he will be the first to blame; not the first to take the blame. In short, it says that he is a dictator.

Can ‘The Hindu’s’ cynical interpretation of the data ever be remedied?

 

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference.

I woke up to the pleasant news of inflation coming down to 4.35%. To the great news that industrial output is up. It filled me with happiness that the people of our country are doing everything they can to revive the economy that has been hit with COVID pandemic twice in two years. They are leaving no stone unturned to ensure pre-covid levels of activity becomes the norm. And then I read what the intellectuals at The Hindu tell us in their front page – “Don’t read too much into the encouraging data: economists”.

Why must we not be encouraged by this data? Because according to the economists - “barring food and housing, most sectors recorded a flat or higher inflation reading in September.” So, food and housing showed lower inflation, yet we should not be encouraged by this news? What do the high lords mean by “most sectors”? If “most sectors” remained flat inflation, then isn’t that also news by which we must be encouraged? I continued to read the article to see if there is any logical justification for not being encouraged by this happy news. The economists and the high lords at The Hindu have fallen back to their age-old argument against any good news related to economy, i.e. “The growth in IIP in August is mainly because of the base effect” 

So, next time any reader comes back with the “base effect” argument to justify a lower growth or higher inflation number, will the intellectuals at The Hindu front page accept that argument too? I was beginning to wonder if the editors at The Hindu would not read too much into data when the inflation sees an increase? Or will they stop reading too much into the data when GDP growth comes down by 0.1%? Or better yet, will they stop reading anything into any data and relieve us of these gems?

My mind went back to the that time in October 2015, when Srinivasan Ramani , then deputy editor of The Hindu, went ballistic on Prime Minister Modi and also ended up calling all those whom the Prime Minister follows as “buffoons”. The RBI had just released a projection table in Q1 of that year which said the growth will be 7.7% in Q4 of that financial year. When the Prime Minister mentioned that the RBI was predicting 7.7% growth for the “coming quarters”, Srinivasan Ramani lost his marbles and went on a rant to say the Prime Minister was following “buffoons”. Users showed him the table that RBI released, but he still didn’t relent. He got confused with Q1, Q2,Q4 etc, got confused with grammar, and got confused with the concept of financial year! Srinivasan Ramani also told us that we should not be concerned with quarterly growth numbers and should focus only on the full financial year. When his silliness was being proved by multiple users on twitter, he changed tack multiple times before emphatically declaring that “You can’t cherry pick”. Basically, we must all bow down to whatever the editors at The Hindu tell us.

My mind also went back to that time in October 2017, when The Hindu published a half page article in their business section titled “Mr. PM: it’s time for bold economic thinking”. The only twist in that article being that the PM had already implemented everything that the high lords have asked him to do! Infact, the authors were recommending lesser penalties for those hoarding money than what the PM had already implemented!

So, this attitude of the editors and intellectuals and economists at The Hindu is not new. We mustn’t celebrate anything as long as the NDA is in power, even if there are worthy causes for celebration. They have always told us, ordinary citizens of the country, what to read; how to read; and when to read. And if you deviate from the path, they tell you to follow, then you end up being a “buffoon” and a “troll”.

BJP is poised to give a tough fight to TRS in Telangana: Here is what BJP must do in the next 2 years

 The following article was written for OpIndia. Pasting it below for reference:

If you are staying outside of Telangana and your source of news is only the English media, I bet you would not know that the Telangana State BJP President, Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar, has walked nearly 450 km over the past 36 days as part of his first phase of Praja Sangrama Yatra. And since it involves BJP, I bet you wouldn’t know about the overwhelming response the padayatra has received all along the 450 km route! 

If you grew up in Hyderabad, you would have never imagined that a day will come where the BJP can conduct a meeting at Charminar and that the whole area will echo with ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans! We are familiar with the grip that the Owaisi clan has on this area and therefore the symbolism of the party President enthusing his cadre from the unlikeliest of the places shows how serious the BJP is to fight strongly for the 2023 Telangana elections. If you see this video clip from day 1 of the padayatra, you would surely understand why it set the rightest possible tone for the next 35 days of the padayatra, or even perhaps the next 2 years of the BJP’s campaign in the state. 

Bandi Sanjay’s preparation for his padayatra was also impressive. All along these 35 days, he has spoken about relevant problems the people of the particular area he is walking in, have faced. The issues touched were wide-ranging: MIM’s communal politics; the delay in joining Ayushman Bharat; the delay in housing for the poor; the procurement of various crops; the question of government jobs; irrigation projects; corruption; and the dynastic politics of the TRS. 

Throughout these 35 days, various senior leaders of the party at the national level have joined this padayatra and enthused the party cadre further. Union cabinet minister Kishan Reddy flagged off the yatra. Union cabinet minister Smriti Irani addressed the closing rally on October 2nd. In between these two events, Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah addressed a massive rally on 17th September (the day Hyderabad was liberated from the Nizams and became a part of India). 

The padayatra has ended on October 2nd, as planned, and the party will now get ready for the all-important Huzurabad assembly bye-election. Again, if you were following media outside of Telangana, I bet you would not know the importance of the Huzurabad assembly constituency bye-election coming up on October 30th.

The lowest electoral point in the political history of the TRS party was in the year 2009 when the party won only 10 seats in the Assembly. Eetala Rajender was appointed as the floor leader of the TRS legislature party, and this signifies the importance of Mr Rajender in the TRS scheme of things. He was the first finance minister of Telangana in the 2014-18 term and then Health minister in the 2nd term. The Chief Minister, KCR had a fallout with Rajender and removed him from the cabinet at the peak of the 2nd COVID wave (citing corruption in some land deal). 

The fallout was not sudden and was brewing for quite some time, but the removal was quite sudden and the timing totally unexpected. The political scenario in the state heated up with such a senior leader of the party who held very crucial posts in the party and in the government being unceremoniously sent out. Eetala Rajendar then joined the BJP, which is increasingly being seen as the opposition party that is capable of taking upon the might of the KCR and TRS parties. He’s also quit his MLA seat, necessitating a by-election. It is in this context that Huzurabad has become the next crucial election for the BJP after the Dubbaka and GHMC elections. 

Ever since the 2018 election, the electoral results have been fluctuating for and against the TRS, with some key blows proving that BJP is able to grow as a strong opposition. The 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the 2020 Dubbaka by-election and GHMC elections are prime examples of BJP’s growth. The 2021 MLC and 2020 local body election results are the prime examples of TRS’s hold in the state. The BJP won only 1 seat in the 2018 assembly elections. They now have 2 MLAs in the 119 member assembly. Eetala Rajendar’s victory in the Huzurabad election will only take it up to 3 but the significance it will have in strengthening and enthusing the BJP cadre cannot be measured by this small number. 

The BJP is well placed to give a very tough fight to the KCR, but it is important to not celebrate too early or become arrogant because of a couple of victories. While examples galore are being given on how Karnataka BJP has grown from 2 MLAs to winning a majority, it must also be kept in mind how Bengal was lost in 2021 despite the all-around perception that BJP is winning. I am not sure of the exact reasons why Bengal was lost, but in Telangana, KCR is as formidable an opponent as Mamta Banerjee was in Bengal. KCR’s political instincts are equally sharp and to underestimate them would be a real big folly. The efforts for this fight have to consistently be as gruelling as the past 1 year.

Extreme care must be taken on the various aspects of messaging. Consistent reports on how the 4 MPs from the state are performing; how the 48 corporators who won recently in GHMC are performing – will help bolster a positive message of the performance. There mustn’t be excessive focus on things like “central government is giving everything” because that will eventually backfire in a state-level assembly election. Instead, the same message can be conveyed by citing examples of how KCR rejected central schemes but eventually joined those very schemes that have benefitted the citizens of Telangana. 

Long term activities like this padayatra are the best way forward because after all in politics, there is no alternative to being amongst the people. The Congress party is in a self-destruct mode and that space is totally up for grabs. The dynastic rule of the TRS is a perfect platform for the BJP to build upon and highlight the various governance aspects – as long as the efforts are along these lines for the next 2 years, the BJP will only continue to grow.