Political space in Telangana will see some heat with Telangana Rashtra Samithi member of Parliament, D. Srinivas’s son Arvind Dharmapuri all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this week in New Delhi in the presence of senior general secretaries of the party.
Mr. Arvind’s entry into BJP is being watched with interest as he is joining with an eye on the Nizamabad Parliament seat, presently held by arguably the most powerful woman in the State, Kavita Kalvakuntla, daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekara Rao.
It is all the more curious as he is the son of senior politician D. Srinivas, who had close links with All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi and served as the president of the Pradesh Congress in the united Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Srinivas shifted to TRS after the formation of Telangana and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from the party.
Event planned
Mr. Arvind generated a lot of curiosity with his full page advertisements in some national newspapers supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it also led to political speculation that Mr. Srinivas would also shift his loyalties, which was later denied by him.
“He had planned to join the BJP in Nizamabad on September 17, marking the Telangana Liberation Day, with a big event involving some senior Indian cricketers and film celebrities. However, he had to cancel it as Union Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Nizamabad on September 17 to participate in the Telangana Vimochana Yatra of State BJP president K. Lakshman,” a close friend of Mr. Arvind revealed.
‘Modi fan’
Apparently, Mr. Arvind met with some senior leaders of the party in Delhi and they were also curious on his entry given his father’s political background and his present position.
When contacted, Mr. Arvind said he had been a big fan of Mr. Modi ever since he became Gujarat Chief Minister and has been keenly following him. “Giving the ticket is party’s prerogative but I am keen on contesting,” the businessman and philanthropist said. On the political tremors he is likely to create given his father’s present association with TRS, Mr. Arvind said it was his personal choice to join the BJP.
Clear choice
“I would prefer to stay out of politics rather than joining any other party,” he said. The decision is however not being taken positively by the TRS leadership, more so given the fact that he is eyeing Ms. Kavita’s seat. A senior TRS Minister apparently called a close friend of Mr. Arvind, also a businessman, to find out further details.
Firm decision
Sources said that despite Mr. Srinivas’s best efforts, the young businessman and philanthropist refused to budge given his strong conviction about Mr. Modi.
Mr. Arvind, a former Ranji cricketer, was never in the news during his father’s political career and his elder brother Sanjay was always considered the heir apparent to Mr. Srinivas.
