Telangana’s Tangled ‘Web’: BJP’s Changing Stances on Dharani Portal May Confound Voters

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s changing stance regarding the Dharani portal in Telangana has created confusion in the minds of many voters. During a public meeting at Nagarkurnool in Telangana, BJP national president JP Nadda said that the saffron party is going to scrap the portal. This stands in contrast to what state party chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar had said about 10 days ago. He had said that he was not against the welfare schemes of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government, adding that the BJP will rectify the issues in the portal rather than scrapping it. This sudden change of stance has caught the attention of the people. The portal, which offers land registration and mutation services, has come under opposition fire from time to time.

Issues pertaining to the portal were first raised by the Congress. In fact, they have run a sustained protest against the portal, which they claim has left thousands of farmers and landowners in the lurch. The grand old party has said that the Dharani portal will be replaced by a transparent, scientifically advanced, and people-friendly one when the Congress comes to power. This issue of the inadequacies of the portal was later taken up by the BJP. In his speech, Nadda alleged that the portal benefited BRS leaders only and that it was being used to harass farmers.

The BJP is already on an unsure footing in the state due to the alleged discontent among its local leaders. Political circles are abuzz with rumours that prominent leaders like Eatela Rajender and Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy are dissatisfied with the party’s image in Telangana. They met Nadda in Delhi and these matters were reportedly discussed. In such a scenario, changing stances on an issue can alienate the voters further.

Dharani was launched as a one-stop solution for land-related issues in 2020. Earlier, people had to go to the sub-registrar’s offices, which are located in 141 locations, for land registration. With Dharani, registration is now at the citizen’s doorstep and can be done in 574 mandal headquarters. After Dharani’s launch, opposition parties have repeatedly pointed out that the portal was being used as a land-grabbing tool. They have alleged that the system was plagued with inaccuracies and farmers were at the receiving end.

Nadda’s speech was an emphatic cry to bring an end to dynasty rule in the state. He said that hundreds lost lives to achieve a separate statehood but only chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s family benefited from the sacrifices. He also talked about the various central government schemes and projects operational in Telangana.