Published 14:14 IST, November 19th 2020
BJP responds as KCR invites anti-BJP parties for meeting; reminds him of its track record
Soon after sources informed that Telangana CM KCR has called for an anti-BJP meeting of leaders & parties across the country, BJP responded to the development
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Soon after sources informed that the Telangana CM has called for an anti-BJP meeting of leaders and parties across the country, BJP has responded and said that KCR is insecure and shaken with the imminent possibility of BJP's rise across Telangana. The saffron party has claimed that there is a possibility of BJP's victory in the upcoming GHMC elections, and hence KCR is raising the issue of an anti-BJP and an anti-Modi front. Stating that BJP is not threatened, the party stated that it is ready to fight against its adversaries.
BJP's Media Statement
"CM KCR seems insecure and shaken with the imminent possibility of BJP's rise across Telangana State, inclusive of immense prospects of winning majority seats in GHMC elections.
KCR's reference of PM Narendra Modi and announcing his plan to wage a war against BJP led Central Government, was irrelevantly timed in the run upto GHMC elections. BJP considers it as 'saber-rattling' and nothing more. This is not the first time KCR has threatened to build an anti-BJP alliance from Telangana.
BJP doesn't feel threatened by these dummy rounds being fired by KCR in regular intervals. However, BJP is always ready and firedup to face another adversary in any form.
KCR should not forget BJP's track record in fighting its political adversaries."
Anti-BJP front?
In a big political development, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has called a meeting of non-BJP leaders and parties in December. Sources said that an invitation for the closed-door meeting has been sent to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Trinamool's Mamata Banerjee, JDS chief Kumaraswamy, Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati, Shiromani Akali Dal's Prakash Singh Badal, BJD's Naveen Patnaik and DMK's Stalin. Sources said that many other political parties can take part in the proposed meeting and the leaders are set to discuss a strategy to form an anti-BJP platform. It is unclear if Congress has been called.
This comes at a time when BJP along with its ally JDU has registered another poll victory in Bihar and has won several bypolls including the sole bypoll in Telangana, at Dubbak. While a leadership crisis is haunting the Congress once again with its allies blaming the grand-old party for poor performance, the BJP has also lost its allies - SAD and Shiv Sena - in the recent past.
BJP's plan for Hyderabad
The saffron party is eyeing expanding down south - the 2021 assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. While in Tamil Nadu, BJP is in alliance with the AIADMK and its main aim is to improve its own performance by making inroads in the state that is suffering a vacuum due to demise of Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi, it has shifted gears towards Telangana after the increased vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and victory in recently concluded bypoll for Dubbak assembly seat.
BJP's national general secretary Bhupender Yadav, who steered the NDA victory in Bihar, has now been sent to Hyderabad to focus on the Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Other leaders in the team are Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar, Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar, Gujarat leader Pradeep Singh Waghela, and Karnataka MLA Satish Reddy.
Dubbak Bypoll
BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao won the by-election to the Dubbak Assembly constituency in Telangana.
He defeated his nearest rival Solipeta Sujatha of the ruling TRS by 1,079 votes. The bypoll, held on November 3, was necessitated due to the death of sitting TRS MLA Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy. The TRS had fielded his widow Sujatha as its candidate.
14:14 IST, November 19th 2020