KCR has once again attacked the BJP over the issue of Rama Janmabhoomi. Why is KCR attacking the BJP only on Hindutwa issue and the Rama Janmabhoomi issue? What is his game plan?
Interestingly, he is not criticising either the GST or demonetisation, which the other opposition parties are attacking. He is not talking about issues like national security, because he knows that support for the BJP has gone up after the surgical and air strikes. Rafael issue too will not be of any use for a local party like the TRS. He knows that the BJP can be attacked only on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
There are two major benefits. One - the Muslim vote consolidates with the TRS. The Muslims will stop seeing the Congress as an alternative. In the last assembly elections, the Muslims have voted en bloc to the TRS. But, in the Lok Sabha, TRS with just 12 to 16 seats, cannot be seen as a counterfoil to the BJP. Only Congress will be seen by Muslims as a counterfoil to Modi and the BJP. So, to wean the Muslims away from the Congress, he has stepped up attack on the BJP and has taken up Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
Interestingly, Ram Janmabhoomi is not an electoral issue at the national level this time. No party is talking about it. Hindutwa too is not an electoral issue as even the Congress at the national level is trying to project its leader as a Janeudhari Hindu. It's manifestos in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan backed a temple at Ayodhya. So, KCR is actually taking a leaf out of West Bengal's Mamta Banerjee and is talking about Ram Janmabhoomi. But, the clever politician that KCR is, he does not want to lose the Hindu vote either. So, he is repeatedly saying that he too is a Hindu and in fact a better Hindu than the BJP. He is saying he is the real Hindu while the BJP is political Hindu. He said this at Karimnagar and also at Nizamabad.
Interestingly, he is not criticising either the GST or demonetisation, which the other opposition parties are attacking. He is not talking about issues like national security, because he knows that support for the BJP has gone up after the surgical and air strikes. Rafael issue too will not be of any use for a local party like the TRS. He knows that the BJP can be attacked only on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
There are two major benefits. One - the Muslim vote consolidates with the TRS. The Muslims will stop seeing the Congress as an alternative. In the last assembly elections, the Muslims have voted en bloc to the TRS. But, in the Lok Sabha, TRS with just 12 to 16 seats, cannot be seen as a counterfoil to the BJP. Only Congress will be seen by Muslims as a counterfoil to Modi and the BJP. So, to wean the Muslims away from the Congress, he has stepped up attack on the BJP and has taken up Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
Interestingly, Ram Janmabhoomi is not an electoral issue at the national level this time. No party is talking about it. Hindutwa too is not an electoral issue as even the Congress at the national level is trying to project its leader as a Janeudhari Hindu. It's manifestos in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan backed a temple at Ayodhya. So, KCR is actually taking a leaf out of West Bengal's Mamta Banerjee and is talking about Ram Janmabhoomi. But, the clever politician that KCR is, he does not want to lose the Hindu vote either. So, he is repeatedly saying that he too is a Hindu and in fact a better Hindu than the BJP. He is saying he is the real Hindu while the BJP is political Hindu. He said this at Karimnagar and also at Nizamabad.