Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, told reporters that “friends” of the BJP approached her with the proposal.
The ‘Shinde model’ is a reference to the revolt in Shiv Sena in Maharashtra led by Eknath Shinde, who later became the Chief Minister.
“There have been proposals brought up to me by friends of BJP and friendly organizations of BJP asking me to join the party. The proposal is called Shinde-model. I said Telangana people do not betray their own parties and their own leaders. We will become leaders on our own strength not by backdoor,” Kavitha said.
“We have rejected their proposal very politely. What they will do after that is a different story. We are in public life. We are always among people and we will face them,” she added.
Kavitha revealed this two days after KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, told a meeting of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders that the BJP lured her to switch loyalties.
BJP leaders have however, rejected the KCR’s claim.
BJP state president Bandi Sanjay said that even if KCR wants to join the BJP, the party will not accept him.
“We are not a party which indulges in liquor business and therefore have no business with KCR’s progeny,” BJP MP from Nizamabad, D. Arvind said in a tweet.
On Arvind’s claim that Kavitha approached Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to join the party, she said that she has no interest in joining any other party.
“We have our party TRS which has become BRS. Tomorrow, it will work at the national level,” she said.
IANS