HYDERABAD: TD national president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear to the Telangana TD leaders that they need to grow in stature on their own and he could not spare any member from the Nara family to lead them. On his own admission, he said that due to his preoccupation as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and being present at the helm of affairs of the ruling party, the party affairs in Telangana had received a major setback.
However, while stressing upon the need for party leaders in Telangana to take a lead in all party affairs and elevate themselves to an enviable level of personal growth that would enhance the party vote percentage in TS, he also assured them that from now on, he would guide them on the issue of seat adjustments or alliances with ‘likeminded’ parties in Telangana. Before leaving for Amaravati on Thursday afternoon, Mr Naidu had a meeting with senior party leaders at his residence here. He adv-ised the TS leaders to hold a Mini-Mahanadu (party conclave) before the Mega Mahanadu in May and promised that he would attend it.
This is not the first time that the TD National President has urged the Telangana TDP leaders to get their act together but despite his keen desire to mould and oversee the growth of his party in this Telugu-speaking state, his concentration on Andhra Pradesh and its development has left him little time to personally guide the Telangana TD leaders. Meanwhile both the ruling TRS and the main opposition party, the Congress, have been focussing on weaning away potential TD leaders in the state and have even started active poaching. Some have already defected to one or the other party. But those who are still with TD wish to remain there but under the active guidance of the party president, Mr Naidu. Nobody is too happy to work under the leadership of the Telangana TD president, Mr L. Ramana, and have also started voicing their discomfort.
Former minister and six-time MLA Mr Motkupally Narasimhulu, who was one of the critics of the TD party functioning in Telangana, did not attend the party meetings on Wednesday and Thursday chaired by Mr Naidu. Insiders say that Mr Narasimhulu is of the opinion that without Mr Naidu’s active participation and involvement, the TD will not grow in Telangana state and the lack of a firm commitment from Mr Naidu about personally leading the party in Telangana would further increase the growing confusion of party seniors in Telangana.
