Telangana BJP MLA Rajender denies switching loyalties

Hyderabad, May 18 (IANS) Telangana BJP MLA Eatala Rajender on Thursday denied reports that he is planning to switch loyalties to Congress party.

He dismissed the reports published in a sections of media that he may join the Congress party.

The former minister tweeted that Telangana's four crore people want KCR's dictatorial rule to end. He stated that only the BJP-led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah
would be able to do this.

"The BJP leaders in the state of Telangana are united and constantly strive to proudly form BJP's government in Telangana. It is not my practice to switch parties, and it is inappropriate to publish such news without consulting me," he wrote.

Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy had said on Wednesday that the party was trying to rope in two suspended leaders of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and two BJP leaders.

The MP from Bhongir had said that he will talk to Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy and Rajender.

Venkat Reddy's brother, Rajagopal Reddy, who had joined BJP after resigning from Congress last year, lost the by-election to Munugode assembly seat, which he contested as BJP candidate.

Rajender had joined BJP in 2021 after resigning from TRS (now BRS) when Chief Minister KCR had dropped him from the Cabinet after allegations that he grabbed the lands of some farmers.

Rajender had also quit as MLA from Huzurabad and contested the by-election on BJP ticket. He won the by-election and emerged as a key leader of the saffron party.

The BJP leadership had rewarded Rajender by making him head of a committee to invite leaders from other parties to join the saffron party. He reportedly communicated to Amit Shah on Tuesday that the victory of Congress party in Karnataka assembly elections has hit joinings in Telangana BJP.

Rajender had also reportedly shared the opinion of several leaders within the party who are advocating for a change in the leadership of the party's state unit to strengthen the party by attracting leaders from other parties.

Rajender is said to be leading a group of dissidents who want the BJP central leadership to remove Bandi Sanjay Kumar as the state president.