The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has taken up fire-fighting in Telangana after the fall out of A. Revanth Reddy's issue indicating that he is certain to switch over to Congress, with the senior leaders of the party trying to put up a brave front stating that nobody in the party is bound by his (Mr. Reddy) plans.
Reacting to the grapevine making rounds in the social media that Mr. Revanth Reddy had given a long list of TDP leaders who are stated to be willing to migrate along with him to the Congress leadership, TDP’s Polit Bureau member Motkupalli Narsimhulu said here on Saturday that the party leaders are bound only by the word of party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and not by others.
The need of the hour is to move ahead strategically within the broad framework of the party ideology that it would go along with parties with similar ideology and not the ones against which the party’s foundations were laid, Mr. Narasimhulu said speaking to reporters.
Telangana unit president of TDP L. Ramana said nobody needs to get confused with the news of a list reaching the Congress leadership and also that the TDP leadership is planning to seek their clarification. He, however, made it clear that it was the duty of such leaders to give clarification in the media to minimise the damage to the party and also to keep up the morale of cadres.
Another senior leader E. Peddi Reddy said Mr. Naidu had recently given direction to the party leaders in Telangana stating that decisions would be based on strengths and weaknesses of the party. He termed the reports that he is planning to join the Congress as false and said he has nothing to do with them. There were also reports suggesting that he would join BJP, he noted.
Meanwhile, holding the customary meeting of TDP Legislature Party, which is held ahead of the Assembly session scheduled from October 27, is in dilemma now. A senior TDP leader observed that he is not sure whether party leaders would take part in the meeting called by Mr. Revanth Reddy after “all this drama”.
The senior leader felt that as part of the anti-Congress alliance, the BJP could have ties both with TDP and TRS and such an arrangement could end up TDP and TRS working together.
