Telangana BJP head Bandi Sanjay Kumar today said that the party's rank and file had been in a festive mood of late, especially since Telangana agitation activist and former Health Minister Etala Rajender had joined the party.
Speaking further on the former minister's entry into the BJP, Kumar added, "I had the chance to observe Etala Rajender from very close quarters during the separate Telangana agitation. I had also seen how he came to the rescue of the other activists of the agitation in their times of need. The leader had played a crucial role in the agitation. It is unfortunate that he was ill-treated by the state government and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The entire state has just witnessed the insult meted out to Rajender by the CM. Our party will always welcome leaders like him."
He then alleged that KCR was scared of the saffron party after Rajender joined it, and that his "fear" had even prompted the CM to "come out of his farmhouse after a long time". He also took the opportunity to call out the CM for allowing the Siddipet district Collector to touch his feet during a recent tour.
The leader fumed that the incident, which has caused quite the uproar, was one where KCR was in the wrong for permitting such a gesture and that all the IAS officers of the country were ashamed to see the Siddipet collector's sycophancy.
Besides this, the BJP bigwig predicted that the TRS would not even recover its deposit in the Huzurabad by-election, necessitated by Rajender's stepping down from the post of the constituency's MLA.
"After Rajender's resignation from the post of Huzurabad MLA, there will now have to be a by-election in the constituency soon. Unfortunately for the TRS, it does not have any candidates who can help it retain the seat. I am confident that we will be able to hoist the saffron flag in Huzurabad after the upcoming by-election," Kumar asserted.