In a shot in the arm for BJP in Telangana, social worker Padmini Reddy,wife of senior Congress leader C Damodar Rajanarasimha,joined the party here Thursday.
Rajanarasimha was the deputy Chief Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh when N Kiran Kumar Reddy was Chief Minister.
Welcoming her into the BJP fold, state BJP president K Laxman said Padmini Reddy had made a name for herself with her social work in Medak region and also among women.
He said the Modi government appointed a woman, who is married into a Telugu family, as the country's Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) and made another woman leader as the Lok Sabha Speaker (Sumitra Mahajan).
Padmini Reddy joined the party as she appreciated the good work done by the NDA government, he said.
Laxman said the NDA government has taken several measures for the benefit of women, including launching schemes like 'Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana' and enhancing maternity leave.
Padmini Reddy joining the party would strengthen the BJP, he said.
Alleging that the TRS government did not distribute Rs 28 billion loans to a single woman Self-Help Group (SHG) under a low-interest scheme, Laxman said his party, if elected to power, would undertake a loan waiver for SHGs.
On Padmini Reddy joining BJP though her husband is a senior Congress leader, he said "personal freedom is available to work in the political arena."
Damodar Rajanarasimha heads the state Congress manifesto committee for the December 7 assembly elections in the state.