A day after the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu exuded confidence that his party would regain its glory in Telangana also, three of his party leaders from the region on Tuesday called on the TRS boss K Chandrasekhara Rao in Delhi and pledged their support to him.
In what could be seen as the beginning of the ‘mass exodus’ of TDP Telangana leaders from the party to other parties such as the TRS, the Congress and the BJP in search of greener pastures in the run-up to the ensuing general polls, two MLAs and one MLC of the TDP from Ranga Reddy district on Tuesday met TRS chief Rao and expressed their desire to join the pink party
Those who met KCR include MLAs KS Ratnam (Chevella) and P Mahender Reddy (Tandur), and MLC P Narender Reddy. After meeting the TRS chief, the three leaders said they had decided to resign from the TDP soon and join the pink party as Rao had succeeded in making the long-cherished dream of about 4.5 crore people of Telangana to have their own state a reality. ‘’It is a momentous occasion for us to meet KCR. We believe that he is the only leader who could reconstruct the new Telangana state. Hence, we have decided to join the TRS,” Mahender Reddy said. Speaking on this occasion, TRS MLA KT Rama Rao welcomed the three leaders into the pink party. ‘’With the joining of these three in the TRS, our party will be further strengthened in Ranga Reddy district. Several TDP leaders from Telangana are in touch with us. Many of them will soon join our party,” he said. Describing the TDP as the party of Andhras, KTR said there was no place for those political parties, which are run by Andhras in Telangana. Hence, he called upon Telangana leaders in the TDP to leave the party and join the TRS in droves. Some more Telangana TDP leaders are also reportedly planning to shift their loyalties to other parties such as the TRS and the BJP. For instance, TDP MLA G Nagesh (Boath) has already announced that he would soon join the TRS as the party had succeeded in bringing the T-state. In the wake of this, the TDP leadership is worried that some more leaders might dump the party in the days to come. Speculation is rife that party seniors such as Errabelli Dayakar Rao, L Ramana, Motkupalli Narsimhulu, G Jaipal Yadav, Kothakota Dayakar Reddy, K Seeta Dayakar Reddy and P Ramulu might also desert the TDP to join either the TRS or the BJP to retain their positions in the general polls. During private talks with scribes, Telangana TDP leaders say that the way their party boss N Chandrababu Naidu tried to stall the T-Bill in Parliament during the final episode of the T-process has damaged the credibility of the party in Telangana. “Naidu’s last-ditch efforts to obstruct the formation of the T-state has brought discredit to the party in Telangana. Hence, some of us are having second thoughts to continue in the party, in which our political career has begun,” a senior leader said. Despite, the repeated cajoling by Naidu in making his T-leaders sail with the party, several of them are now apprehending about their political future in the new state as the party is being seen as an ‘outsider’ in the region. If some Telangana TDP leaders are leaning towards the TRS, some others, particularly seniors, who are political contemporaries of K Chandrasekhar Rao, are looking towards the BJP. The BJP has become a hot favourite for them as they think that the saffron party might emerge as an opposition in the region as it had unequivocally backed the T-Bill. It is learnt that BJP leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who was in the TDP earlier, is trying to persuade the fencesitters in the yellow party to join the BJP. Sources said some of the Telanganga TDP MLAs are in touch with the BJP central leadership.
By : (THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS)