Union Minister Sanjay Kumar dismisses reports of talks between BJP, BRS

Hyderabad, Aug 10 (PTI) Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Saturday dismissed reports of talks between BRS and BJP for friendship.

BRS is an outdated party, the Union Minister of State for Home said in an informal interaction with mediapersons here.

There has been speculation about BRS engaging with the BJP against the backdrop of arrest of BRS MLC K Kavitha in a case related to the alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy and the regional party drawing a blank in the Lok Sabha polls. BRS lost power in Telangana in the Legislative Assembly elections held last year.

Meanwhile, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao has recently warned that action would be taken as per law against those spreading false information of “merger’ of BRS.

Sanjay Kumar said the contest in the coming local body elections in Telangana would be mainly between ruling Congress and BJP.

Alleging that the state government is not providing funds to the panchayats, he claimed that the rural local bodies are functioning with central funds.

On AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s opposition to the Waqf (amendment) bill, he asked as to how many Waqf lands MIM has safeguarded and how many poor Muslims have been distributed waqf lands.

Referring to allegations of encroachments of waqf lands at some places, he said the facts would come out if the waqf (amendment) bill is passed.

Replying to a query, Sanjay Kumar said the BJP’s central leadership would decide on the issue of appointing a new president for the state unit of BJP.

There has been speculation that a new president might be appointed as incumbent G Kishan Reddy is a Union Minister looking after important portfolios like coal and mines.

He also claimed that the Congress government in Telangana has become unpopular in a short time after coming to power in December last year.