‘Disciplinary action lacks discipline’

TDP Polit Bureau Member and former Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu, who announced his resignation, showing the SMS that he had received from the party high command in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Senior leader of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and former minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu has resigned as Polit Bureau member and from the active party politics.

Announcing his decision at a media conference here on Saturday, he said that he was pained by the decision of the party high command in suspending party leader and former city unit president Peela Srinivasa Rao from the party without following the norms.

Peela Srinivasa Rao was suspended from the party for allegedly ‘instigating the attack’ on senior party leader and former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy when the latter came to garland a statue of the party founder and former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao.

“I am not against initiating disciplinary action against Srinivasa Rao, if the charges against him were proved, but there is a procedure for it.

He should be given a chance to explain his position but the decision to suspend him was taken unilaterally.

Though the party leadership has made me Polit Bureau member even I was not consulted on the issue,” he said.

“Even I was suspended from the party in the past for criticising Mr. Chandrababu Naidu but I was given a chance to explain my position and I convinced them under what circumstances I had to criticise the party president,” he recalled. He recalled the service of the Peela family to the party and felt that the leadership had insulted them for their sacrifices.

“I took the decision not to tarnish the image of the party but to tell the people under what circumstances I had to resign from the active party politics. I will, however, carrying the yellow flag and remain an ordinary party worker”.

To another query, he said that a show cause notice should be issued and both sides called to explain their stand before any disciplinary action was initiated.

He said that he had not informed the party president of his decision as he was busy with his ‘pada yatra’.

Party leaders and former corporators Kona Tata Rao, Malla Appala Raju, Pasarla Prasad, Sanapala Seetharamanjaneyulu, Pyla Muthayala Naidu, Vanapalli Ravi Kumar and A. Vani were among those who were behind Mr. Ayyanna Patrudu.