BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Wednesday drew a sharp line in the sand over the upcoming Vice-Presidential election, declaring that his party would oppose any candidate proposed by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. He accused the Congress-led Telangana government of tormenting farmers and dismissed the ruling party as a “third-rate party” undeserving of BRS support.
“How can we support the nominee of a party that is tormenting Telangana farmers every single day?” KTR told FinancialExpress.com. “Congress has turned into a petty party, a third-rate party, and their candidate will certainly be opposed.”
His intervention has left little ambiguity about the BRS position and thrown the party squarely into the national spotlight. Meanwhile, Congress, part of the INDIA bloc on Tuesday announced Justice B Sudershan Reddy as the V-P candidate against NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan.
BRS’ condition
While ruling out support for the Congress-backed nominee, KTR stressed that BRS’s decision would ultimately hinge on the welfare of Telangana’s farmers. He issued a blunt demand that the Centre must ensure the supply of two lakh metric tonnes of urea before 9 September.
“No alliance has approached us so far. But let there be no confusion. Our decision will be taken only in the interests of Telangana. We will not compromise when 70 lakh farmers are crying for urea,” KTR warned.
This conditional offer effectively turns the Vice-Presidential election into a bargaining chip in the wider battle over fertiliser shortages in the State.
Not in NDA or INDIA Blocs
KTR stated that the BRS is not aligned with either the NDA or the INDIA Bloc.
“We are not in NDA, we are not in INDIA bloc. BRS is a completely independent party. We have no bosses in Delhi. Telangana people are our only bosses,” he said.
The statement reflects the party’s strategy of maintaining equidistance from both national formations, even while engaging selectively on issues of state interest.
Congress’ “hypocrisy”: Why not a backward class candidate?
KTR also trained his fire on Congress’s claims of social justice, accusing the party of hypocrisy over backward classes (BCs).
“Congress always talks about love for backward classes. If they are genuine, why did they not nominate a backward class leader as Vice President? They could have fielded an intellectual like Kancha Ilaiah or any eminent backward class personality. Instead, they exposed their hypocrisy,” he said.
By sharpening the backward classes issue, BRS is seeking to position itself as the more authentic voice of marginalised groups in Telangana.
Telugu self-respect
Meanwhile, the Congress decision to project Justice B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate under the banner of Telugu pride has further complicated the equation. KTR accused the party of political opportunism, pointing to its treatment of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
“Congress today talks about supporting a candidate in the name of Telugu self-respect. But has the party forgotten its own history? Did it ever show respect to Narasimha Rao, who worked for decades in Congress and went on to become Prime Minister from Telugu soil?” he asked.
He recalled how Rao was denied dignified last rites by his own party, barred from the Congress headquarters, and left without a memorial in Delhi. “And now, for political convenience, they suddenly remember Telugu pride and Telangana pride? Do they expect people to forget the humiliations they inflicted in the past?” KTR said.
BRS won’t please ‘Delhi bosses’
KTR reinforced the BRS’s central message that won’t take decisions for the pleasure of Delhi bosses.
“We will not take decisions for the pleasure of Delhi bosses. We will take decisions only for the welfare of Telangana. Congress and BJP may play their Delhi dramas, but BRS will stand firmly with our farmers,” he added.
The BRS had maintained a neutral position in national politics until now, choosing not to align with either the BJP-led NDA or the Congress-led INDIA Bloc. In both the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, it contested alone.
While BRS failed to win any of the 17 Lok Sabha seats from Telangana, where Congress and BJP claimed eight each and AIMIM took one, it still holds four Rajya Sabha seats, compared with three for Congress. This gives the party a small but significant say in the Vice-Presidential election.
The current situation presents a political tightrope for the BRS. Supporting the INDIA Bloc’s Sudershan Reddy could hand Congress an advantage in Telangana by reinforcing its “Telugu pride” pitch. On the other hand, backing the NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan risks criticism that BRS has abandoned the “Telugu bidda” sentiment.
Meanwhile, the fertiliser demand sets a high-stakes condition. If unmet, BRS may well sit out the election, deepening its image as a fiercely independent regional force.