Kadiyam quits TDP over T issue

Kadiyam quits TDP over T issue
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Highlights

After months of dilly-dallying and repeated denials over his quitting the Telugu Desam Party, senior party leader and politburo member Kadiyam Srihari...

After months of dilly-dallying and repeated denials over his quitting the Telugu Desam Party, senior party leader and politburo member Kadiyam Srihari walked out of TDP on Saturday. After announcing his resignation here, Srihari took the TDP high command to task and made all sorts of allegations against it. Explaining the reasons for quitting the party, he said since there was no clarity in TDP over the Telangana issue, the party had been losing public support in the region. He also said the party was not giving him due respect.
Kadiyamsrihari
He said Naidu had said a thousand times he was not opposed to Telangana cause; but he failed to assert that he was in favour of a separate Telangana state. The second letter submitted to the Central government has not helped to win the confidence of Telangana people, Srihari claimed. The December 10, 2009 statement by Naidu that Telangana and Andhra were like two eyes for him, following the then Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement on bifurcating the State, proved his anti-Telangana attitude, Srihari averred. "Hundreds of youth are committing suicide for the cause; I can't act inhumanly and continue to remain in the party anymore," he told the media. The party failed to take a decisive stand on the ongoing separate Telangana movement. He stated that he did not want to be a betrayer of Telangana. He was not able to play an active part in the ongoing statehood movement while being in the TDP and that was why he came out of the party, Srihari said. Since 1999 the party has begun to detach itself from the people with its new policies. The party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, while in power, had acted like a chief executive officer of a company rather than the chief minister. There has been a lack of proper leadership and coordination among the leaders and these have led to the defeat of the party in 2004 and 2009 polls. The party that was built on the strong anti-Congress ideology has become an ally of the ruling party and supporting it, Srihari alleged. The public was thinking that TDP was favouring rich people and selling away MP and MLC tickets ignoring the senior party cadres, who worked for the party and had been with the party for decades. "TDP founder president N T Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu have given me a chance to grow in politics and helped to gain an identity. The party allowed me to remain in minister's post for nine years and I am very thankful for that," Srihari said. "But I could not ignore the people of Telangana who are fighting for their self-respect. I want to be with them in their struggle and hence decided to come out of TDP," he stated. Srihari has sent his resignation through fax to the party chief N Chandrababu Naidu following which he addressed the press conference. Later, TRS leader K Tarakarama Rao met Srihari at his residence. He welcomed Srihari's decision to quit the TDP and welcomed him into TRS.
"I'll join a party that works for T cause"
Warangal: Kadiyam Srihari, who quit the Telugu Desam Party on Saturday, said that he would come out with an announcement in a couple of days regarding his future course of action. "I don't want to do any experiments by running my own political party to fight for Telangana state. Several did so and failed. I will join a political party that works for Telanagana cause in accordance with the aspirations of the people," he said. Srihari maintained that he would have to speak to his followers and then take a decision. He claimed that he has offers from Bharatiya Janata Party and Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Following the announcement of his resignation, the TRS MLA Dasyam Vinay Bhasker and the party district president Takkallapalli Ravinder Rao met Srihari at his residence here during the morning hours. They formally welcomed him into the TRS. Later, in the evening, TRS leader K Tarakarama Rao, who was in the town to address the party urban unit training classes, also met Srihari at his residence. He welcomed Srihari's decision to quit the TDP and welcomed him into TRS. Speaking to the press persons on the occasion, Tarakarama Rao said that Srihari's resignation to TDP should not be seen as a political migration. Since the TDP leader was not happy with the party's policies, in particular about its stand on Telangana he chose to come out of the party, he added. Meanwhile, Srihari also had a meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party's former MLA Vannala Sriramulu and the party state general secretary Gujjula Premender Reddy. They discussed the ways and means to strengthen Telangana movement. It was said that Srihari has received a firm assurance from TRS to field him for Warangal Parliament seat in the 2014 general elections. He was expected to join TRS in the presence of the party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao who would be visiting Warangal to attend a programme on May 15.
He may join TRS on May 15
Hyderabad: Former minister and senior TDP leader Kadiyam Srihari, who resigned from Telugu Desam on Saturday is likely to join Telangana Rashtra Samithi on May 15 in the presence of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao at a public meeting. According to sources, KCR offered Warangal Lok Sabha seat to Kadiyam. It may be mentioned here that TRS president has been claiming that key leaders from various parties would join TRS. In this backdrop, Srihari's resignation assumes importance. At a press conference in Warangal, Srihari praised KCR for successfully leading the agitation for separate T state and making it a national issue. He said KCR had even succeeded in pressurising union government to issue a favourable statement on Telangana. It is also learnt that TRS had in the past invited another TDP senior leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao to join the party but he is said to be reluctant. Political circles say that Dayakar may consider joining Bharatiya Janata Party, which reportedly offered him MP ticket from Warangal. If it is so, then it would be a tug of war between the two senior leaders in the next general elections.
TDP leaders spit fire
Hyderabad : The TDP which lost one of its senior most leader Kadiyam Srihari who had resigned from the party on Saturday tried to put up a bold face saying that all those who left the party lost political importance and Srihari too would meet same fate. While party leader A Revanth Reddy said that it was most unfortunate that a senior leader had left the party after enjoying important positions in the government and party and had fallen prey to the machinations of TRS, the TDP Telangana Forum chairman E Dayakar Rao reacted more strongly and said that what Srihari had done was nothing short of "political prostitution." He said Srihari had betrayed the party which gave him political life and encouraged a dalit leader during the last three decades of his association with the party. He said Srihari got sold to TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao.
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