Why have some campaign vehicles of Huzurabad’s BJP MLA candidate Eatala Rajender been painted blue instead of BJP’s saffron? This question is rankling the political observers watching the events unfold in poll-bound Huzurabad. The blue campaign vehicles of Eatala, though with a Lotus symbol on it, are rambling in and out of the constituency.
When Eatala decided to take on KCR, the first thing he did was to change the colour of his social media DPs. From pink, they became light saffron. Then the map of Telangana had a powerful fist on the DP. Later, on the day when he became a BJP member, it tuned saffron. So, when some of his campaign vehicles suddenly turned blue, there is predictable commotion not just in the BJP but also among the political circles. Was he trying to come of the BJP? Was he planning to come up with something new? These were the questions asked.
Meanwhile, it became clear that Eatala was not even thinking of leaving the BJP. In fact, that is perhaps the last thing on his mind. It was Eatala’s compulsion that he had joined the BJP and not otherwise. The blue campaign vehicles are meant specifically for the areas inhabited by the Dalits. Eatala understands that Dalit Bandhu scheme will surely dent his vote. So, to reach out to the Dalit areas, he has decided to invoke Ambedkar, Phule and Jagjivan Ram. At the same time, he felt that saffron may not appeal to the Dalit area. Hence he opted for the blue colour, which is often identified with Dalit activism.
Sources say he is also worried that fomer IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar factor too could cut into Dalit votes. Hence, he felt that the blue colour will help him in reaching out to the Dalits. Interestingly, in other areas, the campaign vehicles are still in saffron. So, Eatala’s strategy seems to be – saffron campaign vehicles for other areas and blue vehicles for Dalit areas. Well! Let’s see if this strategy works out.
