HYDERABAD: The differences between State BJYM leaders came to the fore on Thursday when the outfit’s national president and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya reached Hyderabad to give directions to its activists regarding the upcoming elections.
BJYM State President Bhanu Prakash, who received Surya at the airport late on Wednesday along with BJYM treasurer Sai Prasad, went incommunicado on Thursday, even skipping the meeting chaired by the MP on Thursday. For most of Thursday, Prakash’s phone was switched off and his house locked.
The reason, BJP sources said, was that after landing in Hyderabad, Surya left with Sai, instead of heading to the hotel room booked for him by the party. At the BJP party office at Nampally, BJYM activists raised their voices against Surya, asking him how he could go with Sai and not stay in the hotel as per protocol. As the argument heated up, BJP state in-charge Tarun Chugh intervened and prevented the issue from getting out of hand.
It may be mentioned here that both Prakash and Prasad have been lobbying for the BJP ticket for the Malkajgiri Assembly constituency, regardless of competition from former MLC N Ramchander Rao and other senior BJP leaders. Meanwhile, BJP leaders dismissed the incident as a minor issue between the two leaders.
“It is just that one of them felt ignored during Surya’s visit. It is a matter of differences between two leaders, which will be addressed,” Dr S Prakash Reddy, BJP state spokesperson told TNIE. Bhanu Prakash has been at the forefront of BJYM’s agitations against the BRS against unemployment or the TSPSC question paper leak. In fact, he was hospitalised following a police lathi charge and has multiple cases filed against him.
Meanwhile, BJYM leaders communicated to Surya their desire to contest on the party ticket in the coming elections. According to party sources, he is in favour of the idea on giving a few of his team members tickets.
Mohan, and others join BJP
BRS leader Arepally Mohan, along with Veera Shaiva Lingayat Balija Samaj State president V Eashwarappa, and retired Colonel Bikshapathi joined the BJP along with hundreds of their followers in the presence of party State president G Kishan Reddy at the party office at Nampally on Thursday.