BJP will be an alternative to TRS: Amit Shah

Party president confident that they will form government on their own in 2019

BJP president Amit Shah at a public meeting at Chinna Madaram in Nalgonda district on Tuesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah has asserted that the party would emerge as a strong alternative to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti by 2019 elections and said the party was confident of forming the government on its own in the new State.

The struggles launched by the party leaders and cadre against the TRS government’s policies had received overwhelming support from the people who are looking at the BJP as a party capable of fulfilling their aspirations. “The BJP has exposed the govt. inaction in reaching the grass root level in crucial issues like weaker section housing. The BJP is confident of emerging as strong alternative to the TRS in the coming elections,” he said.

Evasive on TRS tie-up

Mr. Amit Shah was responding to queries about the prospects of the BJP forging a tie-up with the TRS in the next elections during a press conference here on Tuesday.

He was evasive when asked about the future of the party’s tie-up with the Telugu Desam in the two States.

“The electoral alliance with the TDP is continuing in Andhra Pradesh,” was all he said in reply to repeated queries.

He said the party is working with full vigour to make Telangana the gateway for its foray into south India and that the party is “prepared to do whatever needed for making Telangana an important constituent of the development process initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government.”

No discrimination

He refuted the charge that Telangana is being discriminated against in terms of development and said the BJP Government had done so much for the State which no other government had done for the past 70 years. Quoting figures of the allocations made to Telangana in the XIV Finance Commission, he said the BJP had made ₹1 lakh crore allocations to Telangana. This includes share in Central taxes which is expected to be to the tune of ₹96,706 crore in five years from the existing less than ₹50,000 crore, sanction of infrastructure projects worth ₹40,800 crore, grant-in-aid enhanced from ₹2,100 crore to over ₹9,000 crore -- and local bodies grants increased to ₹8,764 crore. The Centre had also sanctioned premier institutions like the AIIMS and universities in various disciplines.

Quota for tribals

To a query on the State government’s decision to enhance quota for Muslims and STs, he said the BJP was against reservations on the basis of religion, but the party welcomed the decision to hike quota for tribals. The BJP president is learnt to have expressed displeasure over the party’s failure to launch an effective campaign against the government’s proposal and consolidate the party’s base in the State.

Asked about reports of leaders of other political parties planning to join the BJP, he said the party would examine such things on case by case basis before admitting those interested to join the party.

Delimitation exercise

On the delimitation of constituencies post bifurcation, he said it formed part of the promises made before bifurcation and it is for the two governments to hold negotiations with the Central Government on the issue.

Asked about defection of MLAs, he said the Speakers of the respective Assemblies should take a decision in this regard.

Addressing a meeting of booth level workers at Pedadevulapalli village earlier, he appealed to the people to extend their support to the BJP in making Telangana a strong forte for the party.