Former MP and TRS leader Vivekananda joins BJP

Former parliamentarian G Vivekananda, who recently quit the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), joined the BJP on Friday in the presence of party general secretary Arun Singh.

Later, he met BJP's working president J P Nadda who welcomed into the party.

Vivekanand, the son of veteran Congress leader of united Andhra Pradesh G Venkatswamy, was also an adviser to the TRS government in Telangana.

He resigned from the TRS and as well from the post of an adviser to the state government after the party denied him a ticket in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

Venkatswamy said he is joining BJP as it is a democratic party, not a family-run entity like the TRS. He said he was also inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

He accused TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao of running the state like a family-run company.

Welcoming him into the party, BJP's leader from Telangana and Minister of State for Home Affairs G Krishan Reddy said he fought for the formation of Telangana and his joining BJP will strengthen the party.