Did Vijayashanti feels homescikness?

HYDERABAD: Is TRS MP from Medak Vijayashanti contemplating switching to BJP? On seeing the former film actress with senior BJP leader LK Advani till he completed his address at Prajnapur in Medak district on Wednesday afternoon as part of his Jan Chetna Yatra, apart welcoming him, political circles are abuzz with speculation that she may soon don saffron robes, shedding her pink ones.

Ever since Advani's rath yatra has been confirmed in Telangana region, Vijayashanti has been saying that she would meet him as she has a high regard for him.

The actress, who is from the BJP stock originally, has been showing more than usual interest in Advani and BJP of late, even to the extent of saying that if Telangana becomes a reality, it would be under the NDA rule and not the Congress regime.

On several occasions, Vijayashanti said she had no faith in the Congress that it would deliver Telangana and felt sorry for her party president K Chandrasekhara Rao for reposing trust in that party.

'He is in the belief that the Congress will create a separate Telangana state. But he is under wrong impression. It is only the BJP-led NDA which is committed to delivering it,' the actor-turned-politician said recently. From the beginning, the TRS and the BJP had remained on the same wavelength.

Soon after fighting the 2009 elections in alliance with the TDP and Left parties, the TRS chief had surprised everyone by meeting the BJP stalwarts to garner their support for the separate Telangana state.

But even this TRS-BJP camaraderie, sources say, might not help former BJP leader Vijayashanti since she harbours a feeling that Rao might give her a gentle brush off by not renominating her to Medak Lok Sabha seat in 2014 elections.

As the friction between the two leaders which almost reached a flash point when she used to be seen in the company of late YS Rajasekhara Reddy more often than not, kicking up speculation that she might move close to the Congress.

But the death of YSR in 2009 changed the political kaleidoscope and Vijayashanti remained in the TRS. But her past attempts to build bridges with YSR rankles Rao even now and might make him drop her at an opportune time - 2014 elections.

The film actress is waking up early to the reality and is trying to cosy up with the BJP to protect her political interests, analysts say.

After meeting Advani, Vijayashanti refused to answer the question on whether she was joining the BJP or not. 'It is the most irrelevant question now. At present, we are fighting for Telangana.

One thing is sure, it is the NDA which gives Telangana, it is the TRS which gets the Telangana and it is the Congress which dies in Telangana,' Vijayashanti said, adding that she met Advani as he was like a father figure for her and urged him to fight in Parliament for Telangana the way he had fought against the 2G scam.