BJP national president Amit Shah here on Friday cautiously declared that his party would admit all those who are willing to join the saffron party for development of the nation. He also hastened to add that their efforts to strengthen BJP in Andhra Pradesh does not mean they would weaken the ruling Telugu Desam Party.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Amit said his party and the TDP were working together for development of the country. They would welcome all those who like their ideology and policies and their goal was to expand and strengthen his party in all the States, he added.
Apparently, trying to mollify the TDP while declaring that the BJP would be strengthened in all States, Amit said the people in Andhra Pradesh supported the TDP-BJP combine in the last elections and the regional party backed the BJP at the Centre. “This relationship between the BJP and TDP would continue in future also”, he clarified. Making it clear that the BJP government at the Centre would fulfill all its assurances as enshrined in the AP Reorganisation Act, the BJP chief said an exercise was going on to give special status to AP.
Condemning rumors that the TDP was sabotaging entry of former chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy into the BJP, Amit Shah asked how the TDP can influence the BJP decision on the issue? “Any one who is willing to join our party can do so. There is no iota of truth in the reports that the TDP was preventing entry of Kiran Kumar Reddy into the saffron party”, he added.
It may be mentioned here that Shah, who has been focused on expanding the party in south and eastern states of the country, set a target of enrolling 45 lakh members in Andhra Pradesh. “I have the right to make my party grow. It does not mean that we will work against Telugu Desam. We want to expand BJP with a positive outlook,” he said.
“In the system of multi-party democracy, BJP moves forward on the basis of its ideology. We will go to people of Andhra and tell them about our ideology and leadership. Whoever wants to join BJP is welcome,” he said. On the Clean Ganga mission, the BJP chief said that it would be extended to other rivers in the country as well, which will ultimately ensure supply of clean water for both irrigation and drinking purposes.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Commerce Minister (independent charge) Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP MP and party’s Andhra Pradesh unit president K Haribabu and others were also present.