Senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and former deputy chief minister Kadiyam Srihari has categorically denied reports of his plans to join the Bharatiya Janata Party soon.
Srihari, who apparently got a dressing down from the TRS bosses, clarified to the media on Monday that there was no truth whatsoever in the reports that appeared in a section of media that he was joining the BJP.
“This is nothing but irresponsible and baseless reporting,” he said.
He claimed that he had neither intention nor the need to join the BJP.
“I believe in values in politics and I am able to survive in politics only because of my efficiency and integrity,” he said.
Admitting that he had faced several ups and downs in his political career, Srihari said certain selfish forces who were not able to witness his success in politics were conspiring to curtail his growth in the party and stall his chances, because they did not want a Dalit leader to earn name and fame.
“These are the same forces which had spread similar rumours during the assembly and Lok Sabha elections that I am defecting to another party. This is nothing but character assassination,” he alleged.
Srihari made it clear that he had never voted for the Congress and so, there was no way he could join the party. At the same time, he would never go into the BJP which believed in religion-based politics.
“I am an Ambedkarite with Leftist ideology. I cannot go into a party which was against Dalits, Muslims and Christians,” he said.
He asserted that he would continue to work under the dynamic leadership of TRS president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.