The Bharatiya Janata Party is engaged in serious internal discussions whether it should continue to be part of the Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC) or snap ties with the umbrella organisation.
This discussion came up at a brain-storming session of BJP at a resort on the city outskirts two days ago against the backdrop of the feeling among some of its leaders that the T-JAC was tilting towards the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), a move that could harm the BJP’s electoral prospects.
BJP president G. Kishan Reddy told The Hindu that the “issue will be discussed” with JAC shortly. He said the BJP proposed to meet JAC after its State executive meeting at Tirupati on July 1 and 2 to set things right. Another senior leader N. Indrasena Reddy said the party would ask JAC to talk straight – whether it will support TRS or BJP – in the next elections.
The brain-storming session reviewed how the TRS was trying to attract JAC leaders by promising them party tickets. Earlier, it was K. Swamy Goud who was nominated to MLC elections and now more names are being floated. The meeting felt that if the BJP kept quiet, the JAC would take the party for granted and support TRS in the elections like it did in Parkal Assembly by-election. The JAC supported TRS in the polls by citing survey reports that the latter and not BJP was capable of taking on Congress and YSRC, a senior BJP leader said. A JAC leader C. Vittal had different reasons to attribute to BJP quitting the organisation if it moved in that direction. He said the leadership of BJP from coastal districts was in favour of a tie-up with TDP to ensure that a particular community wrested power.
The Modi factor will come in handy for BJP to forge ties with the TDP.