Telangana Assembly Elections: BJP says it will not join hands with TRS

While rejecting the allegations by Congress that BJP and TRS are hand-in-glove, BJP cleared the air saying it would not join hands with TRS even if the latter falls short of numbers post in the Telangana Assembly Election scheduled on December 7.

Krishna Saagar Rao, the Telangana BJP spokesperson, threw a challenge to Congress for a ‘guarantee’ the it would not do the same thing. Congress has been training guns at caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao and alleged that he is ‘stooge’ of BJP and that both have a ‘tacit understanding’.

“There is 100 per cent tactical understanding between the TRS and BJP”, R C Khuntia, the AICC in-charge of Telangana affairs, had told news agency PTI.

Krishna Saagar Rao countered the allegation. “I have a challenge for (TPCC President) Uttam Kumar Reddy and (Congress President) Rahul Gandhi. Will you guarantee the people of Telangana that if KCR (as Chandrasekhar Rao is referred to by many) falls short of winning that you (Congress) will not help,” Rao said.

“We (BJP) can assure you that we will not. Even if the TRS falls short, that BJP will not, no matter how many seats we get, we will not form government with TRS. We can assure you that,” Rao stressed.

TRS had put its weight behind NDA’s choices for both the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections and GST and demonetisation were also supported by TRS. This gave rise to the speculation in political circles that they may join hands when it comes to Assembly Elections early next month. Last time in 2014, BJP had allied with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and won five seats in the 119-member Assembly. TRS also trashed allegations of their ‘tacit understanding’ with BJP.

“In the present Telangana and also undivided Andhra Pradesh (before 2014), TRS is the only party which has not aligned with BJP. TRS will not align with any other party, much less the national political parties (BJP and Congress),” B Vinod Kumar, TRS deputy floor leader in Lok Sabha, told PTI.

However, a senior BJP leader was of the opinion that BJP wants KCR to be neutral. “KCR understands that BJP wants him to be neutral and not go to Congress-led alliance at the national level,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.

“And he (KCR) also understands that we (BJP) don’t want the Congress to rise,” he stated. “If we (BJP) fight hard (in Telangana polls), who are we going to defeat (TRS or Congress) is the question. If you fight hard, you are defeating a wrong person (TRS). If Congress wins…that’s not our objective,” the leader felt.

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