BJP to go alone for local body polls in State

Tirupati: BJP will have no truck with any party in the State and would go alone without any alliance, said BJP national secretary and co-incharge of AP BJP Sunil Deodhar.

Deodhar who was here to participate in `Gandhi Sankalpa Yatra' taken up by the party nationwide to promote Gandhian ideals, speaking to media here on Saturday said that the doors are permanently closed to TDP which severed its alliance in the State with the saffron party before the general election or with the JSP (Jana Sena Party) of Pawan Kalyan.

To begin with the party would walk alone in the election to local bodies in the State, he said adding that `this was to fight against family politics, casteism and corruption dogging the State and the BJP alone could end the three evils.

Continuing his attack on TDP, the BJP leader strongly demanded a probe into the allegations of large-scale corruption that took place in Polavaram Project works during the TDP rule. He said that the YSRCP government should stop claiming of saving of crores of rupees to the exchequer by reducing the project cost by adopting reverse tendering.

In the same breath, Deodhar said that it is too early to judge the performance or find fault with the new government and preferred to give some more time to the YSRCP government to deliver.

However, he criticised the government for not implementing reservation for EBCs in the recent recruitment to the posts of Grama and Ward Sachivalayams set up in the State for decentralisation of the administration and observed that it affected the interests of the poor among the upper castes.

BJP is keen on development of backward Rayalaseema, which he said failed to witness development despite many from the region ruling the State for long as Chief Ministers and added that the Union government granted Rs 1,000 crore under `Jala Shakti Abhiyan; for irrigation development by taking up water conservation in a big way.

On the much hyped `Gandhi Sankalpa Yatra' he said the party has taken up nationwide programme to popularise Gandhian principles including Grama Swarajya, Swachatha (cleanliness), non-violence, corruption free politics etc. which he said is more relevant than ever before.

In Chittoor district the Yatra began in Srikalahasti on October 17 and reached Tirupati on Friday evening. It would come to an end on October 24 at Kanipakam after covering a distance of 150 km in 7 constituencies.

BJP leaders including former State president Chilakam Ramachandra Reddy, district president B Chandra Reddy, State secretary G Bhanuprakash Reddy who is heading the Yatra and others were present.