The Bharateeya Janata Party (BJP), which has been claiming to emerge as an alternative for TRS in Telangana by 2019 polls and taking aggressive stature against Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his government, has now suddenly turned `silent’. This reflects changing political equations following demonetization.

Till recently, state party president Dr K Lakshman and legislative party leader G Kishna Reddy, not missing any opportunity to criticise `anti-people’ regime of TRS and also his failure in fulfilling poll promises.

However, after KCR’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi extending support to demonetization drive, BJP leaders in the state were caught in dilemma. As he is the lone chief minister, besides Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik outside NDA, they felt it would be improper on their part to take him into task at this juncture.

All opposition parties critically viewed Chief Minister’s new lavish `official residence’. But no BJP leader commented on it. Even on the occasion of KCR completing half of his five year-term, no BJP leader makes any critical view. Both Congress and TDP described the two and half year’s period of KCR’s rule a `disappointed’ one.

Though there were no indications to say TRS is likely to join NDA, BJP leaders deplored that they are unable to provoke any situation inconvenience to TRS, due to `compulsions’. It was mainly due to Prime Minister’s attempt to cultivate rapport with KCR, as part of his strategy to `divide the opposition’ so that to ensure the opposition may not unite against him.

As Chief Minister Rao is openly supporting demonetisation move and adopting pro-active measures to take the administration towards `cashless transactions’, local BJP leaders were locked in helpless condition. A senior party leader said “now we are neither can criticise KCR, nor sail with him, as he simply ignores local leadership.”