The Mahanadu meeting of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which commenced on Tuesday, was a picture of contrast with the party men from Seemandhra bubbling with enthusiasm, while their counterparts from Telangana visibly subdued with uncertainty looming large over their future.
There were many pointers to the passive approach of the ‘Telugu tammullu’ (Telugu brothers) from Telangana as the leaders who used to be seen all over were either invisible or sparsely visible on and off the dais. Party sources stated that there was very poor registration of delegates from Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad.
There were just 100 registrations from Karimnagar till lunch time, it was stated.
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Besides, senior leaders such as Tummala Nageswara Rao, Mandava Venkateswara Rao, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy, A. Revanth Reddy and others were hardly visible, while Errabelli Dayakar Rao was seen sitting quiet all through.
However, during the debate on the resolution on the party’s electoral success in general, municipal and rural local bodies’ elections MLA-elect from Narayanpet in Mahabubnagar, S. Rajender Reddy, said that the party’s failure to provide ample opportunities to youth to contest the general elections had taken a toll on its performance in Telangana.
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He felt that the party could have fared better in Telangana had its chief N. Chandrababu Naidu contested from the region.
There was little cheer from the delegates of the region even when Mr. Naidu tried to give a pep talk stating that he would stay in Telangana till he brought the TDP to power and that there were more party men in Telangana than in Seemandhra who could sacrifice for him.
The party also adopted a resolution to work for making the country corruption-free and suggested inclusion of corruption in the syllabus from the school level. It further wanted a debate on the issue countrywide.