BJP, BRS rule out merger talk; alliance option open

Hyderabad: Leaders of both the BJP and the BRS have ridiculed all talk of a merger plan being under consideration, not only denying such reports in certain media outlets but also ridiculing the possibility. But, vague hints and contradictory statements have kept the pot boiling.

According to well-informed sources, both the two parties reportedly had discussions recently on the issue, which came unstuck, for now, owing to tricky concerns.

“We were in Delhi for a few days recently, but we did not meet a single BJP leader. We only met lawyers of the Supreme Court regarding two cases — one relating to the Telangana State Assembly Speaker not disqualifying BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress, and second, the bail petition for our leader, K. Kavitha,” said senior leader and former minister T. Harish Rao.

He strongly denied any merger talks or discussions having taken place, saying, “why would we even think of such a wild idea? We have a role to play as a strong opposition, which we will. We never met or spoke to any BJP leader,” he said.

Several other senior BRS leaders also pooh-poohed the idea that they were considering or had offered to merge their party into the BJP, questioning its need.

“Vinod Kumar, our former MP, is not focusing much on politics these days, spending time with family etc., after his defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. His off-the-cuff remark ‘anything is possible in politics’ should not be stretched to mean that we are considering a merger,” said another BRS leader.

As the news went viral on various social media handles, neither party chose to formally deny it, but when questioned, several BJP leaders also dismissed the possibility.

“We have grown from eight MLAs to eight MPs within a few months. Our vote share has shot up dramatically, and we will be the preferred party by the people to form government in the next state elections. In contrast, the BRS has lost all credibility. Why will we entertain them in any fashion? Besides, they are also a family-run party with high propensity for corruption, like the Congress. The BJP does not need the BRS,” said a senior leader of the BJP.

Some BJP leaders blamed the Congress for the news leaks, saying, these are efforts by the Grand Old Party to set a fake narrative.

“They had earlier said that the BJP and BRS were partners. This is fake news being spread by the Congress,” the leader argued. “Let us not forget the first time KCR spoke of a merger, he was to do so into the Congress.”

Leaders of both the parties also said there was no need for such a move because the elections were far

away. A BJP leader said, “The next elections in Telangana will happen over four years later. We will have the GHMC elections towards the end of next year. What is the need to discuss such proposals at this time?”

A senior BJP leader, however, said, that while such a proposal was discussed with the BRS, it could not go forward because of some thorny issues, including the BJP condition that former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao must retire from politics, without promising to project BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao as the CM candidate if the merger were to happen. “There was a possibility that they would have merged their unit of four Rajya Sabha MPs into our party, but talks have failed,” he said.

“The BRS was desperate because of increasing legal cases against its top leaders, several of its MLAs leaving the party and a possibility of legally bringing back a top former cop from the USA for his alleged role in illegal phone tapping. They are also afraid of more cases being filed relating to irregularities and corruption in several projects,” said a BJP leader. “But we won’t consider it. Our party and cadre do not want it. But we are open to taking good leaders, with a clear image, if they approach us.”

The BJP also conceded that it was currently engaged in talks with several BRS leaders, who want to join the party. The Congress, meanwhile, continues to poach on the BRS leaders, in small numbers, with a special focus on the pink party legislators.