Telangana BJP rift out in open as police act in Etala Rajender flexi controversy

The flexi controversy targeting BJP MP Etala Rajender has exposed internal divisions within the Telangana BJP. Police arrested six persons, including J Ramakrishna, prompting disciplinary action and renewed allegations of factionalism and corruption within the party 

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP’s repeated attempts to downplay internal differences among its senior leaders have suffered a setback after the KPHB Police registered a case against former SCB vice-president J Ramakrishna and five others in connection with derogatory flexis and posters against Etela Rajendar, party MP from Malkajgiri.

Last week, flexis and posters appeared at several locations, including Malkajgiri, KPHB and Secunderabad. The material accused Etala Rajender of obstructing the BJP’s growth in Telangana and branded him a “curse to the BJP”.

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The controversy not only triggered a political storm but also brought the growing divisions among senior leaders in the State BJP unit into public view. Despite the developments, BJP State president N Ramchander Rao sought to dismiss reports of internal discord and maintained that the party had no connection with the flexis.

The BJP’s Kukatpally office lodged a complaint with the KPHB Police on June 1 regarding the defamatory banners and posters. Following an investigation, police apprehended six persons on Sunday, including the former SCB vice president.

The banners appeared to have been displayed deliberately with the intention of damaging the reputation of both the BJP and Etala Rajender. The episode further highlighted factionalism within the party. Soon after the arrests, photographs of J Ramakrishna along with union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar were widely circulated on social media, adding another dimension to the controversy.

Damage Control mode

As the issue intensified, the Telangana BJP leadership moved in to contain the damage by suspending J Ramakrishna with immediate effect. The party said the action was taken for violating its code of conduct and for harming the reputation of party leaders. He was also directed to submit an explanation within a week.

Meanwhile, former BJP National Executive Committee member Shekhar Rao Perala escalated the matter through a Facebook post in which he referred to a past conversation with a senior BJP leader from New Delhi. He also shared a photograph of J. Ramakrishna.

According to Perala, the senior leader had alleged that Ramakrishna had misused party funds. He questioned which State-level leader had supported him and demanded an inquiry into alleged instances of internal corruption within the party.

“Such people become State leaders and working committee members, while people like us do not fit into the party. Hats off to the great decisions of the senior leadership,” Perala remarked in the post.