Hyderabad: A desperate BRS struggling to find candidates to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections, on Wednesday shanghaied one of its own leaders, former Wardhannapet MLA Aroori Ramesh, to prevent him from quitting the party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Ramesh was expected to get the BJP ticket from Warangal constituency if his plans held.
However, this was not to be with the BRS giving a demonstration of the lengths it is willing to go to keep what remains of its strength in the state intact. A bunch of BRS leaders, led by former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, practically plucked Ramesh away from his home in Warangal in the morning, then ‘brought’ him to BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao’s house in Nandinagar in Banjara Hills to be “presented” before the party chief.
It was learnt that at the meeting with several other BRS leaders from the erstwhile unified Warangal district, Chandrashekar Rao schooled and “impressed upon” Ramesh not to quit the BRS and “make the mistake of joining the BJP” and “spoiling a bright political future”. Before entering Chandrashekar Rao’s residence, Ramesh, who was apparently prevailed upon to put his plans on hold, told waiting media persons that he was not leaving the BRS and would continue in the party.
However, it was learnt that he informed Chandrashekar Rao that while he is willing to stay in the BRS, he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls on the party ticket from Warangal, despite being made a counter-offer — to match the one from the BJP — that he would be the BRS candidate from Warangal.
Earlier, amidst the confusion at Ramesh’s house in Warangal where he was to address the media in the morning about his political plans, some BJP leaders present there could not prevent Ramesh being hustled into Dayakar Rao’s car which immediately sped away towards Hyderabad. However, not to be outdone, the BJP leaders and some of their followers, managed to catch up with Dayakar Rao’s car at Pembarthi, bring it to a stop and pulled Ramesh out of the vehicle amidst “Jai Sriram” slogans.
Even as Ramesh tried to speak with him, in the ensuing melee, his shirt was torn and after much explaining that he was going to Hyderabad on his own accord, he was allowed to leave the place.
The meeting at Chandrashekar Rao’s residence was attended among others by BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari, about whom speculation was running rife that he would quit the party soon. Srihari, however, clarified that he was not about to do anything of that sort and would remain in the BRS.
Ramesh told media persons that he was not kidnapped or forced to come to Hyderabad. “What happened was that yesterday some BJP leaders met me and invited me to join their party. I told them I will discuss with my followers and let them know and today after meeting with my followers, upon their advice, I decided not to leave the BRS. And I will support the BRS candidate from Warangal in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
