‘I Was Right’: Amid Buzz of BRS’ Merger, Owaisi Says Had Predicted that Telangana’s Creation Would Strengthen BJP

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has said that rumours of BRS’ merger with BJP have proved that what he said 10 years ago was right.

In a press meet, the AIMIM president added that though he does not know if there is a possibility of such a merger, two respected newspapers had carried the article. He said, “In 2009, our party had written to the Pranab Mukherjee committee that though it was true that Telangana was underdeveloped, giving statehood was going to strengthen BJP. Now the main question here is whether BRS is going to merge with BJP, or whether BRS is going to form an alliance with them. The newspaper reports even carried a statement of BRS leader Vinod Kumar, who said everything was on the table. Tell me who is being proven right now?”

Before bifurcation, AIMIM had stood firmly for a united Andhra Pradesh, stating that the division of the state was going to strengthen communal forces. They had also demanded Rayala-Telangana in which two out of four districts of Rayalaseema would be added to Telangana. Owaisi had argued that the drought-prone districts of Kurnool and Anantapur must be added to the newly formed Telangana, otherwise there would be water wars. AIMIM had also opposed the idea of Hyderabad being a joint capital.

In an interview in 2014, Owaisi had said that the only beneficiary of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh would be the BJP. He had argued that the BRS (formerly TRS) would lose its relevance in the future as it was a one-agenda party. Once TRS loses relevance, who is going to fill the political vacuum, he had asked. He had added that since TDP is considered an Andhra party in Telangana and TRS would become weak, the BJP was going to fill that space. He had ruled out that MIM, Left parties or the Congress could fill that void.

The speculation about BRS merging with BJP started after a newspaper report stated that the purpose behind BRS leader K Taraka Rao’s recent Delhi visit was holding talks with the BJP. KTR had said that he had gone to Delhi to highlight Congress’ “unconstitutional” practices in Telangana, but the newspaper report said otherwise. The BRS is reportedly asking BJP’s support in order to get their leader, K Kavitha, out of Tihar jail. The former MLC has been held there in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam case.