Telangana BJP leaders get a dressing down by Amit Shah
He began the two-hour interaction with the TS BJP leaders by asking them to rate his day-long activity in Nalgonda.
Hyderabad: Making it clear that he was not satisfied with the functioning of the party in TS, BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday gave the TS BJP three months to gets its act together.
At the state BJP leaders meeting held in Nalgonda on Monday evening, he told the attendees in no uncertain terms that they have to take corrective steps immediately and he would take stock of the changes in his next trip to the state, scheduled for September.
He began the two-hour interaction with the TS BJP leaders by asking them to rate his day-long activity in Nalgonda. One of the leaders immediately said that it was excellent and the response from the people was tremendous. Amit Shah chided him and clearly expressed his disappointment at how the first day of the tour was organised by saying: “If this is your perception, I don’t think we will come to power in the next election.”
According to insiders, the BJP national president also made it clear that unless the party’s state leadership strengthens its base by publicising its ideology and policies, it would be very difficult for the BJP to grow in TS.
He also was not happy that the state unit expected other leaders to join the party. “Unless you are strong, and party is strong, we cannot expect somebody from other parties to come and develop it. You should first take steps to develop the party, then let us think of others,” he said.
Referring to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao spending public funds to fulfil his vows to Lord Venkateswara and other deities, Amit Shah asked the BJP state leadership why they were not critical about it. “You should hold the government accountable for spending public funds. Why did you not raise the issue?” he asked them.
He reportedly also took a dig at state BJP leaders for not using the mass defections by opposition legislators to the TRS as a weapon to corner the ruling party.
The BJP national president also took the party’s state unit to task on not completing 100 per cent appointment of booth-level committees till now, despite being warned to do so during his last meeting.
He said he would return to TS in September and he wanted the party to ensure all committees are constituted and functional in these three months. “Next time, I will be here for six days to rejuvenate the party so that we come to power in 2019,” he said.