Former MLC N Ramchander Rao, an ABVP veteran and senior advocate, on Saturday took over as the new president of the BJP in Telangana, succeeding G Kishan Reddy.
Ramchander Rao officially assumed charge at BJP's Telangana headquarters here in the presence of Kishan Reddy, party MP D K Aruna and several other leaders.
Ramchander Rao offered prayers at the famous Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar here before taking over his new role.
He paid tributes at the Telangana Amaraveerula Stupam near the Legislative Assembly complex, the memorial for those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Telangana statehood.
Expressing his gratitude to BJP leadership and the activists, he pledged to work for expanding the party's reach in Telangana and serve the people under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On state Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar's comments that BJP has proved itself to be "anti-backward classes" by not making a BC leader as its state unit president, Rao said, by the same logic, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who belongs to Other Castes (OC), should quit and hand over the post to a BC leader.
Ramachander Rao belongs to OCs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to backward classes and there are 29 Union Ministers who belong to the BCs, he told reporters.
"We are for the backward classes," Rao said, adding that there are many MPs, MLAs and other BC leaders in the BJP.
Soon after assuming his new role, Rao, in an open letter to CM Revanth Reddy, demanded that the Congress government implement its poll promises, including financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month to poor women, one tola gold to brides under 'Kalyana Lakshmi' and 'Shadi Mubarak' schemes, interest-free loans to Self-Help Group (SHG) members, scootys to female college students and increasing social security pensions to Rs 4,000 per month.
Rao was on July 1 elected as the new president of the BJP in Telangana.
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