The BJP plans to hold a meeting of the party’s national executive in Hyderabad on July 2-3 in the backdrop of an unprecedented backlash from West Asian countries over the derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed by a party spokesperson that has dented not only the current dispensation’s blatant majoritarian politics but also its claim of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the “world’s most popular leader”.

The venue of the first full-fledged national executive of the party after the pandemic had been proposed to push the party’s drive to spread wings in Telangana, but the events surrounding the remarks against Prophet Mohammed are likely to cast a shadow on the meet.

The pressure from West Asian countries saw the BJP taking disciplinary action against two spokespersonsby suspending them, a first in the eight years since it has been in power. It also issued a long statement, affirming respect for all religions and stressing the secular values enshrined in the Indian Constitution. For a party that has long attacked rivals as “sickular”, the reference to “secular values” was jarring.

“Indirectly, the Nupur Sharma issue will figure in the meeting. The top leadership will surely use the issue to give a message to the party leaders and workers,” a BJP leader said. All the top leaders of the party, including Modi, will participate in the two-day meet.

Many in the party fear that the Nupur Sharma episode has inflicted a big blow to the perception of Modi being a powerful leader.

“The party repeatedly says that Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in the world and now no country can dictate to India. This (Nupur) case has dented this image of PM Modi being a powerful world leader,” a BJP old-timer said, adding that the party will now have to strategise afresh to reclaim the perception.

Modi’s image as a strong leader who enhanced India’s image in the world had been used to drive the BJP’s electoral dominance. Now, the same image has suffered a blow as he has been seen as giving in to pressure from Islamic countries. This, many party leaders believe, will force the leadership to think afresh and indications of the new strategy could be reflected at the Hyderabad meet.

The choice of Hyderabad as a venue has been made to drive the BJP’s push to spread wings in the south, a region the saffron party has not been able to make a mark in, barring Karnataka.

The newly created state of Telangana is of particular interest to the party as it fancies scope of growth based on recent electoral performances. The BJP could win just one seat in the 119-member Telangana Assembly polls in 2018. However, the party bagged four of the 17 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the Greater Hyderabad municipal polls in 2020, it won 46 of the 150 seats. This was followed by a victory in two crucial Assembly seats where by-elections were held.

All this has led the leadership to believe that there is scope for the party to grow in Telangana. Last month, Modi addressed a party meeting in Hyderabad, coinciding with the eight years of his government, and launched a scathing attack against the chief minister and TRS party boss K. Chandrasekhar Rao, picking on the dynasty plank.

Telangana goes to the polls next year and the party wants to use the executive meeting in Hyderabad to charge up the party’s state machinery and build up the political atmosphere in favour of the party.