No decision yet on State unit president: Haribabu

It’s common for leaders to change parties before elections and anyone leaving the party will not damage BJP and it will try to stand on its own in Andhra Pradesh, MP and party national executive member K. Haribabu has said.

“We have not promised Andhra Pradesh presidentship to anyone and none said they would join the party, if the post is given,” he said here on Monday. His comments assume significance in view of the talk doing the rounds that former Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, whose name is reportedly considered for the BJP State president, is joining YSRCP.

The MP said he had resigned to the party president post and the leadership would appoint a person to it weighing the political situation.

Commenting on the prospects of BJP after TDP snapped ties with it and the latter branding it as betraying the cause of Andhra Pradesh, he said the party would go to people explaining how it had fulfilled the promises made during the bifurcation and how it would meet the rest of them.

He maintained that BJP was still for cordial relations with the State and said there was no official information on what transpired at the meeting between Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

He did not see it in conjunction with the meeting the IB Chief had recently with the Chief Minister. “It is common for IB officials to meet political leaders in power and talk about the political situation,” he said.

Mr. Haribabu said the Central government would take steps to reduce some taxes to bring down the petrol and diesel prices.

He came down heavily on CPI(M) for stating at its meet in Hyderabad that it would work to oust Mr. Modi. It was CPI(M) that had aligned with Congress supporting its corruption, he alleged adding CPI(M) should introspect on why its political fortunes were steadily sliding.