HYDERABAD: Ministers and TRS leaders are intrigued by the absence of Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda at the BJP headquarters in Delhi when former TRS leader Etala Rajendar and some other leaders from the state joined the party on Monday. They termed the future of these leaders in the saffron party as “ominous.”
They said Rajendar had dug his own grave with his decision to quit the TRS, even as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had accorded him highest priority in the party and the government. They exuded confidence that the TRS will retain Huzurabad Assembly seat with a record majority in the coming bypoll.
Ministers G Jagadish Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar and TRS leaders Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy addressed separate press conferences on Monday to lash out at Rajendar. They were gleeful that top-level national BJP leaders ignored Rajendar and did not attend the Delhi event. “Etala will soon fade away in the BJP and also from Telangana politics,” they said.
"Etala has joined a sinking ship. People are furious at BJP for making petrol and diesel unaffordable. People are ready to bury BJP not only in Telangana state but across India whenever the next elections are held. Etala joined a party that failed on all fronts. He will not get any high office in the BJP and this is clear from the lukewarm response he got in Delhi. Soon, he will fade away along with BJP," said Jagadish Reddy.
Minister Kamalakar compared Rajendar with TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. “Etala attempted to backstab Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao and he is eyeing the CM post in future.”
"KCR treated Etala like his younger brother. But he tried to backstab him like Chandrababu did (with then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao) to grab the CM post. His political career has ended," Kamalakar stated.
Rajeshwar Reddy said Rajendar should explain to the people what the BJP did more for people than the TRS. "Is any BJP government at the Centre or states giving Rs 5,000 per acre under Rythu Bandhu like the TRS? Are they giving 24x7 free power to agriculture? Are they extending Aasara pensions, Kalyana Laxmi, Shaadi Mubarak schemes to the poor? Etala owes an explanation to the Telangana people," Rajeshwar Reddy said.
