Telangana: BJP won't open doors, for now

Hyderabad: State BJP sources said on Sunday that there would be no major defections into the party during the three-day visit of party president Amit Shah to the state beginning on Monday.

The state BJP leadership has established contact with a few leaders from the Congress, Telugu Desam and other political organisations, but the party’s central office has sought verification of their antecedents before admitting them.

The BJP has a process to admit leaders from other parties. Each case is forwarded to the central office and the seats that are to be offered to the newcomers is worked out.

“The process is going on and it will take some time. A key leader from Khamm-am district is insisting that he will join the BJP in the presence of Mr Amit Shah at a public meeting for which he has promised to mobilise a one-lakh strong crowd. We will continue political activity even after Mr Shah’s visit,” said a TS BJP spokesperson.

Another top leader of the party said senior leaders of other parties who had promised to join the BJP had not established contact again. “We have not had a formal meeting with them. It will take some time,” he said.

After the three-day visit from May 22, Mr Amit Shah is expected to return in either October or December.

BJP sources said Mr Amit Shah and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu are likely to meet either on the evening of May 24 or the morning of May 25 here.

Mr Amit Shah will return to the city in the afternoon of May 24 and will stay for the night before leaving for Vijayawada the next morning. Mr Naidu will be in Hyderabad on May 24 for the Telangana TD’s Mahanadu. It is expected that Mr Naidu will raise the issue of the TD’s alliance with the BJP in TS.

The statements of state BJP leaders on going it alone in 2019 and their comments that the TD had weakened in Telangana state were taken to Mr Naidu’s notice at a recent meeting with Telangana TD leaders. Mr Naidu assured them that he would take up the matter with Mr Amit Shah and asked them not to take the comments of the TS BJP leaders on the alliance seriously.

Besides, Mr Naidu will take up the issue of YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently and announcing that he would support the NDA candidate in the Presidential polls. Several TD leaders including Mr Naidu had raised objections over Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy being given an appointment; Mr Naidu will raise the possible political repercussions of the meeting with Mr Amit Shah.