G Vivek says will join BJP

Hyderabad / Adilabad: Former MP G. Vivek on Tuesday met BJP president and Union home minister Amit Shah and said that he had decided to join the party. He met Mr Shah along with BJP leader Ram Madhav.

Speaking to mediapersons after meeting Mr Shah, he said the BJP leader had invited him to join the party during the Lok Sabha elections and had offered him the party ticket from Peddapalli but he could not make his mind at that time.

He said that he had trusted TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to nominate him for the general elections. Mr Rao ditched him in the last minute, Mr Vivek, a former adviser to the Telangana state government, said.

The ticket was given to Borlakunta Venkatesh of the Congress who joined the TRS at the eleventh hour. The BJP had fielded Mr S. Kumar.

Mr Vivek said he had decided to work with the BJP to build a new India.  He met Mr Shah together with his son Vamshi.

He said that during the meeting with Mr Shah he asked him to intervene and prevent the demolition of buildings of the Secretariat and the Errum Manzil to build the new secretariat and legislature complex.

Mr Gaddam Vinod and Mr Vivek are sons of senior Congress leader late  Gaddam Venkatswamy, known affectionately as Kaka. Reports are doing the rounds that Mr Vinod will also join the BJP.

The TRS had also denied a ticket to Mr Vinod to contest from Bellampalli or Chennur. He secured a BSP ticket and contested from Bellampalli and lost the elections to TRS candidate Durgam Chinnaiah.

The two leaders had earlier left the Congress which their father had served for decades as they were unhappy with the leadership.