The Telangana in-charge of the BJP Tarun Chugh today said that the state was witnessing a "fight" between its "self-respect" and the "arrogance of a single leader".
Speaking at a meeting with former Health Minister Etala Rajender at the latter's Shamirpet residence, Chugh said that the former minister had raised his voice against the "dictatorial attitude" of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and against the overall "dictatorial tendencies" of the TRS regime.
The BJP leader then alleged that the CM was "muzzling" the voices of dissenting leaders like Rajender, and said that the BJP would happily welcome other leaders who were ready to fight against the CM.
"The CM has dumped Rajender, a leader who fought for the welfare of the people of the state. The state government seems to have forgotten its duty of ensuring the welfare of the people. This concern has taken a backseat today," he said.
Chugh also lauded Rajender for his decision to join the BJP, and added, "Rajender has always fought for the state's welfare. We are happy to welcome him to our party. He will join the party after resigning as an MLA. We will work together and invite more dissenting and committed leaders into the saffron fold."
He then claimed that the main objective of the saffron party was to transform the state into a developed and corruption-free one.
While state BJP head Bandi Sanjay Kumar could not attend the meeting as his gunman recently tested positive for Covid-19, other top leaders, including Raghunandan Rao, T Raja Singh, and party national Vice-President D K Aruna, were present for the meeting.
Rajender will reportedly send his resignation via an e-mail to Assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy since he was unable to secure a face-to-face meeting amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, there is great speculation that other TRS leaders, including Enugu Ravinder Reddy and Thula Uma, will also soon join the saffron fold.
The leaders of the BJP have been attacking the KCR government quite frequently for its "dictatorial" ways. Just yesterday, state party chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar had also alleged that Telangana was
witnessing "feudal rule" under the current TRS-led government