Niranjan sees link in BJP ad fund row to Bandi removal

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) senior vice-president G. Niranjan questioned the BJP’s leadership change in the state, suggesting a possible connection to the controversy surrounding advertisements funding. Bandi Sanjay Kumar officially resigned as the state BJP chief on Tuesday, and he was replaced by Union minister G. Kishan Reddy.

Niranjan questioned the intention behind Bandi's removal and Kishan Reddy's appointment. He wondered if the leadership change was aimed at strengthening the BJP's organisation or if there were other internal factors involved. He also raised concerns about a potential smooth relationship between Kishan Reddy and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. Niranjan emphasised that these questions should be asked in the public interest, despite being the BJP's internal matter.

Referring to BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao's inquiry about the source of funds for Bandi's advertisements worth Rs 100 crore, Niranjan highlighted reports suggesting that Rs 500 crore was collected under the name of "Praja Sangrama Yatra." He had questioned if the BJP leadership had knowledge of and supervised these fundraising activities. Niranjan viewed Bandi's removal as a failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Amit Shah, and BJP president J.P. Nadda, who were responsible for managing the state's affairs. He expressed doubts about the trustworthiness of Bandi's endorsement by Modi, given his subsequent removal.

Niranjan expressed confidence in the Congress' strong comeback in the state. He dismissed the impact of Etela Rajender, who was appointed as the BJP's campaign in-charge, and stated that the Congress was unstoppable.