AP BJP Chief Somu Veerraju had a meeting with the JanaSena President Pawan Kalyan regarding the Tirupati bypoll. He also had a meeting with the incharge Muraleedharan. The sudden efforts by Somu Veerraju have become a topic of discussion in the party. A couple of days back, Pawan Kalyan made comments that the alliance would continue only if both parties have coordination. Startled with this, the BJP started efforts to set things right in AP and tried to have its say in the selection of candidates for the Tirupati by-election.
It is said that for BJP, the TDP is still the ruling party as the leaders are targeting the TDP and believing the YSRCP as a friendly party. This has reached the party high command. The party is said to be serious as the mileage which had to go to the BJP went to TDP. Even in the Nandyal hospital issue, Somu Veerraju issued a note stating that the YSRCP government utilized the funds given by the centre in a better way. Even the BJP activists had different versions of this as they questioned how the party would grow if the ruling party was praised.
When Kanna Lakshminarayana was the BJP chief there were collective decisions but it is alleged that Somu Veerraju was taking unilateral decisions. The other party leaders like Kamineni, Kanna, Sujana have gone silent and Vishnuvardhan Reddy, Bhanu Prakash, MLC Madhav, who are said to be close to Veerraju are visible.
Recently, Veerraju said that he had spoken to former TDP president Kala Venkat Rao and that he would join the BJP. However, Venkat Rao said he did not meet Veerraju. To this Veerraju said that he took Rao’s name by mistake in the press conference. He said there will be many who would be joining the BJP including film stars Vani Vishwanath and Priya Raman, but this didn’t happen. It is said that they were not liking his leadership and hence were not joining the party.
It is said that the high command has received complaints against the functioning of Somu Veerraju. The party leaders have sent point to point mistakes committed by the state unit. It is said that the party did not react on Ramatheertham issue which could have brought mileage to the party. The party reacted after TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Ramatheertham on January 2, however, when the BJP chief visited the shrine on January 5, Veerraju fainted in the scuffle with police, and though the protest was taken up later on January 7 the party did not get any political mileage, and Veerraju fainted again. The party high command inquired about his health as MoS G Kishan Reddy called him over the phone. It is said that Veerraju came to Hyderabad in tension that there would be tough decisions if the same attitude continues. It appears BJP is friendly with the ruling YSRCP and opposed to the opposition TDP.
