T BJP leaves alliance decision to central leadership, signals solo GHMC fight

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Thursday made it clear that any decision on electoral alliances in the state would be taken by the party’s central leadership, while asserting that the BJP would contest the upcoming GHMC elections on its own.

Addressing a ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised to mark 12 years of Telangana’s formation, Rao said alliance decisions, including those involving NDA partner Jana Sena, would be determined by the party central leadership.

Rao’s remarks assume significance in the wake of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s recent announcement in Hyderabad that his party would re-enter Telangana politics and contest the GHMC polls.

The BJP chief accused both the Congress and BRS of attempting to revive Telangana sentiment to divert attention from their governance failures and came out strongly in defence of Kalyan.

Responding to a question, Rao said he had not heard Pawan Kalyan make the alleged remark that “Telangana is not your father’s jagir.” Instead, he claimed that a Congress minister had earlier made comments suggesting Telangana was his own “jagir.” “Pawan Kalyan has never spoken against Telangana. If he wanted to hold a public meeting here, why are Congress and BRS leaders objecting?” Rao asked.

Rao accused the Congress and BRS of projecting the BJP as a threat in Telangana politics. “The real threats to Telangana are Congress and BRS, not the BJP,” he said, adding that the BJP had emerged as a major political force in the state and that Telangana had become the party’s gateway for expansion in the South.

Claiming that the BJP had played a significant role in the Telangana movement, Rao said: “Both Congress and BRS have failed the people of Telangana and their aspirations for jobs and water, but they are portraying the NDA govt as a villain which has given Rs 13 lakh crore for Telangana.”

Rao also criticised the state’s water management policies, alleging the absence of a clear strategy despite years of governance and claiming that Krishna river waters were being diverted to Karnataka.

Dismissing reports of internal differences within the BJP, he asserted that Union minister Bandi Sanjay and MPs Eatala Rajender and Dharmapuri Arvind are working in complete coordination. He also clarified that the BJP had no connection with the recent ‘Bandi Bhageerath’ controversy that has triggered a political debate in the state.

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‘Hindutva is our ideology, development our agenda’

Hyderabad: Responding to a question on whether the BJP’s Hindi-Hindu narrative had limited appeal in southern states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu and whether the party had a special strategy for Telangana, Ramchander Rao said development remained the BJP’s primary electoral plank.

“Hindutva is our ideology, but our agenda is always development, we fight elections on that plank only. We have eight MLAs and MPs. Look at West Bengal — from just two or three MLAs now we are in govt. There are other examples like Tripura and Assam. From a negligible presence, we rose to power. BJP has done very well in every election, including local elections in recent past. We will form a double engine govt,” he said.