Hyderabad: The BJP expects a breakthrough in its alliance with the Telugu Desam by Ugadi, Telugu New Year’s day, but is keeping its options open to go it alone in both Telangana and Seemandhra.
“Arun Jaitley and Prakash Javadekar deal with alliance issues. I can only say that we (the BJP) should be prepared for anything. We should be ready to go it alone and if the alliance works out, be ready for adjustments,” MP and BJP Parliamentary Board member M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Thursday.
Talks on seat adjustments between the Telugu Desam and the BJP are continuing, but it has been a slightly bumpy ride. State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy has asserted that the party expects an honourable deal but was not craving for an alliance. While TD leaders have flayed the BJP earlier, however, a top source in the party told this newspaper that an alliance with the TD was still possible.
“Alliances should be rational. When two parties meet, they should discuss and prepare for adjustments. I want an honourable solution at the earliest, say by Ugadi. If the alliance is sealed by then, we can make a new beginning in the new year and get down to the campaign,” he said.
The senior BJP leader was here to induct several new entrants, including actors Suresh and Shivaji, ex-MLA Dara Sambaiah, social activist Karuna Gopal, Indra Kumar, grandson of Bapineedu, Kondaiah Naikar, and Vishnuvardhan Reddy, into the party.
“The people have decided. Whether there is an alliance or not, one vote will go to Narendra Modi in Telangana and Seemandhra. He is on everybody’s lips,” Mr Naidu claimed.
The BJP, which has firmed up alliances with five political parties in Tamil Nadu, plans to go it alone in Karnataka, and contest in Kerala in its attempt to strengthen its base in the South.
Mr Naidu acknowledged that the BJP was focusing on the South where there are 132 Lok Sabha seats. “Even if we win half the seats, it will be a big boost,” he said. The BJP leader will be addressing 100 rallies during the election campaign and 60 of these will be in the South itself, he said.
Denying rumours that he may contest for an Assembly from the state and head the party here, Mr Naidu joked that the media was trying to bring him down from PM aspirant to finance minister to chief minister. Asked whether former PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana was in touch with him, he said, “No.”
