Those in the know say that there is a master plan behind the sudden elevation of Dr K Laxman to the Rajya Sabha. He is the first BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Telangana. He joins two other Telugu BJP leaders, who are currently Rajya Sabha members. The first is finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is from Karnataka quota. The other Telugu MP is GVL Narasimha Rao of Andhra Pradesh, who represents Uttar Pradesh.
The national leadership of the BJP clearly is planning for 2023 elections and appears determined to wrest Telangana from the TRS. It is also a signal that the BJP is wooing the BCs big time. Already, Bandi Sanjay is an MP in the Lok Sabha and is the state party chief. He and Nizamabad MP D Aravind are from the Munnuru Kapu community. Similarly, Huzurabad MLA and former minister Eatala Rajender is from the powerful Mudiraj community.
By making Laxman a Rajya Sabha MP, the BJP is sending clear signal that it is pro-OBC. Laxman is the national president of the OBC morcha. At the same time, the BJP is also indicating that it is not going to sideline seniors in the party. Laxman has been a two-term state president of the Telangana BJP.
The party has honourably rehabilitated seniors like Bandaru Dattatreya and Ch Vidyasagar Rao with governor’s position. Another stalwart Venkaiah Naidu is now the vice-president of the country. By making Laxman a Rajya Sabha MP, the party appears to be planning for a bigger role for him. Another senior hand and two-time past president G Kishan Reddy is a minister with independent charge at the Centre.
