Three days after the Telangana high court quashed the SIT probe into the BRS MLAs poaching case, B L Santhosh, BJP's national secretary (organisation), made an appearance in Hyderabad for a state party leaders' meeting on "BJP Mission 90: Telangana 2023."
In a development seen as a setback to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao, the high court on Monday also transferred the case to the CBI from the SIT.
The SIT had earlier summoned the top BJP leader for questioning in the case in Hyderabad. But Santhosh approached the HC and got relief from appearance till December 30.
At a resort near Hyderabad, where the party meeting was held on Thursday, Santhosh for the first time reacted to the allegations of the BJP's attempt to poach the BRS MLAs.
According to a state leader present at the meeting, Santhosh "indirectly stated" that those who made fallacious charges against him will have to face the consequences.
“Those who made accusations against me should respond now (in the poaching case). I am little known here, but they popularised my name in every household. The BRS and its leaders have become a bane to the people, and democracy. BRS leadership has betrayed Mother Telangana,” Santhosh reportedly said.
In an apparent reference to KCR's tours, and engagements in New Delhi and other states, Santhosh said, “Hyderabad wealth is being distributed across the country now for political benefits.”
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had claimed that “Delhi sent agents” tried to lure four BRS MLAs “following a BJP conspiracy to topple his government.”
Santhosh's name cropped up several times in the audio-video “evidence”, the CM presented before the media, from the farm-house meeting between four BRS MLAs and three alleged mediators on October 26.
The number 90 in “BJP Mission 90: Telangana 2023” refers to the Assembly seats out of 119 that the saffron party aims to win to gain power in Telangana in the next year's polls. While the BJP is confident of winning or giving a tough fight in 45 seats, it is working to improve its prospects in 45 more seats.
Bandi Sanjay, Telangana state president; Kishan Reddy, Union Minister; K Laxman, BJP Parliamentary Board member; and other leaders attended the concluding session.