BJP keen to win in Telangana: G Kishan Reddy

Newly-appointed Telangana BJP chief Union minister G. Kishan Reddy on Wednesday said the Central leadership was keen to bring the party to power in the state.

Speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi, Kishan Reddy said the sole objective of the party, both at the Centre and state level, was to form the government in Telangana and that he would work in tandem with all other party leaders to achieve the target.

"You will see," was all Reddy said when he was asked to react to Congress allegations that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was instrumental in elevating him to the top party post.

Questioned on a change of leadership just a few months before the Assembly elections, Kishan Reddy said the party’s Central leadership had decided on it after taking into consideration the short gap.

He said throughout his stint in the BJP, which began in 1980, he never asked for any post. "Be it party positions, minister of state for home or elevation as Cabinet minister, I merely followed the party’s instructions and accepted whatever responsibility given to me,"



he said, calling himself "a committed solider of the party".

The top priority for the new chief would be to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Warangal on July 8 is a success, and host a meeting of important party leaders of all the southern states and Lakshadweep.

"The meeting would focus on expanding the party in south. The day-long session would be held at the party’s state headquarters in Nampally," he said.

Later in the day, towards the evening, Kishan Reddy arrived in the city to a rousing reception from party leaders. The newly appointed chairman of the election management committee Etala Rajendar was at the Shamshabad airport to receive Kishan Reddy.

Although Kishan Reddy announced that he would return to Hyderabad along with the outgoing president, Bandi Sanjay, the latter stayed back in the national capital.

Party sources claimed that he had to go back from the Delhi airport after receiving a call from Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.