TDP or YSRP, BJP in big dilemma - TeluguPeople.com News

New Delhi: After carefully evaluating the pros and cons, the BJP Central leadership is understood to have decided to maintain equidistance from Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party, for now.

Despite party's PM candidate Narendra Modi showing a distinct interest in aligning with TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, BJP national president Rajnath Singh thinks it would be better to maintain distance from both the regional parties at the present juncture in order to avoid any perception of dilution on the Telangana demand.

Sources close to Rajnath said it was in the interest of the party to keep an independent stance till things became clearer on the political front vis-'-vis Telangana.

Rajnath, who will be in Hyderabad on Wednesday, is set to hold parleys with the State unit to bring about clarity on Telangana issue. His discussions are also likely to focus on various sticking points of the bifurcation. The BJP president will address a meeting of the State core group and office bearers.

Sources say Rajnath has no plans of meeting Naidu during his visit, as top BJP leaders in the State are against any such meeting at this juncture since it could send wrong signals to the party's rank and file.

'There is a misinformation in the regional media that a tie-up has already been made between the BJP and TDP for the forthcoming elections. Till the Telangana issue is settled, such a meeting, therefore, would only send wrong message to the party cadre,' sources said.

BJP national general secretary Murlidhar Rao said Rajnath's Hyderabad visit was part of his exercise to meet the core group of the party leaders in each State and too much should not be read into it. However, Rao agreed that the BJP president would clear the air on the Telangana issue, if there was such a need.

It may be noted that some leaders of the Andhra unit had vociferously expressed their opposition when Naidu met Modi, Rajnath and Arun Jailtey in the national capital. Sensing that the meeting might give wrong signals about the BJP's unflinching support to Telangana, the party decided not to send anyone to support Naidu during his six-day fast in Andhra Pradesh Bhavan. However, Modi later called up Naidu in hospital to enquire about his health.

Meanwhile, the BJP has also been receiving feelers from YSR Congress. After Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy praised the administrative and leadership skills of Modi, his mother Y S Vijayalakshmi called on Rajnath during her Delhi tour last week.

She requested the BJP chief to reiterate their stand on the constitution of a Second States Reorganisation Commission as demanded by veteran L K Advani earlier.

Asked if the party saw any possibility of having truck with Jagan in future, party sources admitted that going with an established Congress baiter like Naidu was easier but he added that nothing could be ruled out in AP.

Party sources said Rajnath would also discuss the stand to be taken by the party on the possible recommendations to be made by the seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted by the UPA government.

He would also discuss constitution of two State-level committees ' one for Seemandhra and another for Telangana, the demand for which has been growing louder by the day.