No tie up with TDP says Kishan Reddy

HYDERABAD: At a time when the prospects of a BJP-TDP alliance look certain, BJP state president G Kishan Reddy has denied reports that efforts are being made to forge a poll alliance with the TDP.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Kishan Reddy said: 'Let me make it clear that the issue of poll alliance with TDP was never discussed in the party nor the party leadership has ever asked our opinion on it.

The BJP wants to go it alone in the ensuing elections in the state and we have already told our leaders and workers that there will be no poll alliance with any party in the state.'

Reddy said his party's national leadership had asked him to finalise candidates for all the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the state.

'When we are contesting all the seats, where is the question of having an alliance with any political party?' he asked.

'TDP leaders are criticising our leaders and targeting us on the state bifurcation. How can one expect the BJP to have alliance with that party? Moreover, senior TDP leaders and workers are deserting that party.

How can one expect us to have alliance with such a party whose base is shrinking?' he said and alleged that TDP leaders were spreading rumours about alliance to mislead people.

Replying to a question, Kishan Reddy said that the party was not making efforts to forge poll alliance with TRS either.

Taking exception to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu blaming the BJP for the division, he wondered how Naidu could say that BJP betrayed the people of Seemandhra when it had all along stood firm on division of the state.

'The BJP had been in the forefront of Telangana movement and has never gone back on its stand. Then where is the question of it betraying the people of Seemandhra? It is the TDP which had betrayed the people of Seemandhra by not being able to protect their interest,' he said.

Coming down heavily on the Congress for organising victory rallies in the Telangana region, he said the Congress ministers and leaders who had never participated in the Telangana movement and enjoyed their posts, were now claiming credit for statehood.

'The Congress has not given Telangana for its love of the people of the region but for poll gain and to make Rahul Gandhi prime minister.'

Kishan Reddy claimed that there was a Modi wave sweeping all the regions of the state and the BJP would win fairly good number of seats in Telangana and Seemandhra.

He said his party would give ticket to suitable members of the families of those who laid down lives for the cause of Telangana.