The Telugu Desam Party has reiterated its stand favouring a separate Telangana, asserting that it is up to the Centre to take a decision.
Adopting the all-important political resolution as the two-day Mahanadu came to an end on Tuesday, the party pointed out that the polit bureau had taken this decision in October 2008 and followed it up with a letter to the committee headed by then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The TDP also wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all-party meeting and this was conceded by the Centre in December last year. In line with the letter to Mr. Mukherjee’s panel, another letter was handed over at the all-party meeting. The party was committed to both letters.
Firing salvos at rival parties, senior leaders said though the party’s stand was clear on Telangana, the TRS was needlessly pointing an accusing finger at it. They blamed TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao for betraying the people of Telangana by not taking up any struggles on their behalf. It was the TDP alone which raised the issues in Telangana -- whether it was Bayyaram iron ore mines or Babli project – they pointed out.
The resolution also highlighted that the victory of TDP in the next elections was a historic necessity. As part of its transparent policy, party president N. Chandrababu Naidu announced that it had received Rs. 4.05 crore as donations from members, delegates and well-wishers. This included Rs. 50 lakhs each by Chandrasekhar, an NRI, Mohammed Saleem, MLC, and Rs. 25 lakh by Ravindra of Guntur. Mr. Naidu, who was re-elected president of the party, said there was no history of any party opposed to Congress surviving on the political horizon of the State until the TDP came on the scene in 1982. The parties which were floated prior to that and later were all merged with the Congress. He added that the Congress was unable to deliver goods due to its inherent weaknesses owing to rampant corruption by its leaders. The YSR Congress had no base in Telangana and its presence was confined to some areas in the State. Leaders expressed confidence that the party’s annual conference would be held next year under its own government.
