BJP's Internal Turmoil

Amidst growing concerns over party discipline, Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G. Kishan Reddy has issued a strong warning to party leaders against leaking details from internal meetings, particularly following a high-profile breakfast session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The controversy stems from a meeting held on December 11, where Prime Minister Modi hosted Telangana's eight BJP MPs at his residence in New Delhi. According to media reports, Modi expressed dissatisfaction with the party's performance in the state, urging the MPs to "shape up" and act as a more effective opposition against the ruling Congress government led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Sources claimed the Prime Minister criticized the MPs for their lack of initiative, pointing out that the BJP's social media presence paled in comparison to that of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a regional rival. Modi reportedly emphasized the need for greater grassroots engagement and warned that the party's complacency could hinder its growth in Telangana, where it secured a significant Lok Sabha haul in 2024 but struggles in assembly polls. 

However, Kishan Reddy swiftly dismissed these accounts as "baseless propaganda" and "completely false." In a statement released on December 15, he clarified that the Prime Minister did not reprimand the MPs but instead provided constructive suggestions to bolster the party's organizational strength. "The claims that PM Modi 'took class' of the MPs are untrue," Reddy asserted, adding that Modi advised the representatives to enhance their social media activity and focus on public outreach to counter opposition narratives. He emphasized that the meeting was intended to motivate rather than criticize, aligning with the BJP's broader strategy to expand its footprint in non-traditional strongholds like Telangana. 

Reddy's ire was particularly directed at the leaks themselves, which he described as "unacceptable" in an internal party context. "Leaking details of an internal party meeting is not tolerable," he warned, vowing strict action against those responsible once identified. Party insiders suggest the leaks may have originated from disgruntled elements within the Telangana unit, fueling rumors of infighting. This episode comes at a sensitive time for the BJP in the state, where internal divisions have been simmering since the 2023 assembly elections, in which the party managed only eight seats out of 119. The recent Lok Sabha success—winning eight out of 17 seats—had raised hopes, but analysts point to persistent factionalism between long-time loyalists and newer entrants as a potential Achilles' heel. 

The warning also unfolds against a backdrop of escalating political friction between the BJP and the Congress-led state government. Just days prior, on December 10, Telangana police arrested the BJP's social media convenor and several activists in a midnight raid, prompting Reddy to condemn the action as "illegal" and reminiscent of an "emergency mindset." He demanded their immediate release, accusing the Revanth Reddy administration of suppressing opposition voices through fabricated cases. The arrests were linked to alleged defamatory posts targeting the Chief Minister and his family, further intensifying the BJP's criticism of the government's handling of free speech and dissent.