The Hindu : Front Page : BJP to support TRS in Council polls

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Wednesday, Mar 21, 2007
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BJP to support TRS in Council polls

Special Correspondent

BJP and TRS will fight together for separate Telangana and have issue-based tie-up

HYDERABAD: With polling for electing MLCs from Assembly quota scheduled for Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday announced its "unconditional support" to Telangana Rashtra Samithi nominees, and issued a whip in this regard.

Within hours of the announcement, TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao called on State BJP president Bandaru Dattatreya and other leaders at the party office and thanked them for the decision. Both leaders announced that they would fight together for statehood to Telangana and have issue-based tie-up on other matters. Accusing the Congress and the Telugu Desam of encouraging "horse-trading" in the Council elections, Mr. Rao said the BJP's support to TRS was aimed at protecting democratic values.

With this, the number of votes for each TRS nominee would increase from 9.22 to 9.85, the TRS chief claimed.

Hailing the BJP's stand on Telangana, he said the party had in an unprecedented manner adopted a resolution at the national executive supporting bifurcation of the State.

Mr. Dattatreya said the BJP and the TRS were "natural friends" and the party had decided to support its nominees following a request from that party.

Their coming together was not for "selfish political ends" and it would give a fillip to Telangana movement.

He urged Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy to exercise his discretionary powers in the interest of "political discipline" and allow the party to issue the whip.

The party had nominated BJP floor leader G. Kishan Reddy as whip.

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