BJP national leadership on Monday denied the statement of its general secretary Sathyakumar, who said that the YSR Congress Party was not approached by the BJP for support in the Presidential elections. The statement created ripples in the state politics as the media highlighted it.

The statement from the BJP spokesman came hours before BJP-sponsored NDA presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu was scheduled to arrive in the state. She is visiting the state on Tuesday to meet the YSR Congress MLAs and seek their support for her candidature.

Sathyakumar said that the YSR Congress had volunteered its support to the NDA candidate in the election.

Former minister and YSR Congress MLA Perni Nani took strong objections to these remarks and told the media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh have personally telephoned Jagan Mohan Reddy and requested his support for the NDA presidential candidate.

The former minister told the BJP leader to get clarification from the party national leadership if he had any doubts on the issue. He also heckled Sathyakumar and advised him to work for BJP and not the TDP in AP politics.

Later in the evening, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the media in Delhi that the BJP had requested the YSR Congress support in the election. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had telephoned Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and sought his support.

The Union Minister also said that YSR Congress leaders were present when Draupadi Murmu filed her nominations for the President election. He advised the party leaders to know the facts before giving any statement and also advised them to restrain from making statements that would damage the party’s relationship with other parties in national politics.