Hyderabad: By joining the Modi bandwagon, the TRS can see that the BJP does not grow in the region. By joining the government, TRS ministers can secure funds for the state.

However, Mr Amit Shah did not show much interest to the TRS offer stating that the BJP in principle had decided to grow independently. The BJP had recently decided to grow in the southern states and Odisha under “Mission Seven States”.

When contacted, TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar said, “It is a fact that we have decided to support the Modi government for all its good things but the talk of TRS joining the Modi government is baseless. Neither have we offered to join nor have they (BJP) invited us to join.”

BJP general secretary Ram Madhav had also made the party’s stand clear during his recent visit to AP.

In AP, the BJP is part of Mr Naidu’s government and the TD is part of the Modi government at the Centre. Mr Naidu had helped Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman get elected to the Rajya Sabha from AP.

“Sometime next year we may have to come out of the Naidu government. Unless we snap ties with the TD we cannot grow independently in AP.

Our feedback from the AP cadre is that several Congress and YSRC leaders and legislators want to join the BJP but they don’t want the party to tie up with TD as many of them differ with Mr Naidu. They cannot criticise TD as long as BJP continues its relationship with the party,” a BJP source told this correspondent.

When contacted, TD leaders said, “It cannot be true. On what pretext would the BJP come out of the alliance in AP? Chandrababu Naidu has not prevented them from admitting people from other parties. Whatever their move, there should be logic.”