Highlight BJP’s Role in Telangana Statehood Movement: Party Sets Agenda for Next Polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it seems, will not let the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) take all credit for the movement that led to the creation of the state and brought them to power.

The state BJP has made the intent of making it an election issue clear, as it has put up an exhibition detailing every protest and movement that led to the creation of the state at its national executive committee meet venue.

Here are some of the photos on display: A framed photo of Kakinada resolution, the Andhra Pradesh state executive meeting held in July 1997 that supporting creation of Telangana.

A photograph of Srikantha Chary, a 24-year-old scholar who was the first martyr in the protest for Telangana state.

“Also, 1200 students died by suicide as a protest against adamant attitude of the Congress government,” reads one of the displays.

Also on display are pictures of Etala Rajendran, who is now a BJP leader, details of ABVP ‘ Ranabheri’ in 2010 in Nizam grounds, where BJP leader Sushma Swaraj addressed the gathering.

Then state president G Kishen Reddy had launched a 3,500-kilometre yatra as part of Telangana Poru Yatra. The yatra launched by then BJP president Nitin Gadkari sought the then UPA government to introduce Telangana statehood bill in Parliament.

​Sources in the party stated that not just the TRS, the BJP, too, has a long history and contribution to the movement.

“The credit doesn’t only go to the TRS. Our leaders have struggled to get Telangana its statehood,” added a senior party leader.

CT Ravi, national general secretary while speaking on the party highlighting its role in creation of Telangana at a time when the state is scheduled to go to polls, blamed the Congress for violent movement ahead of Telangana creation.

“Our party supported Telangana, but the Congress could not manage it well. During Vajpayee era, we carved out Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand amicably. The Congress could not do it. Had we been in power Telangana could have been carved amicably too,” said Ravi.

“TRS tried to steal the credit of Telangana statehood from others and this is the reason why founders of that movement left TRS and joined the BJP. They are not the only ones who gave Telangana statehood. Our leader the late Sushma Swaraj spearheaded the Telangana statehood movement,” said Tarun Chugh, BJP in-charge Telangana and national general secretary.

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