Naidu offers olive branch to Harikrishna

Hyderabad : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu, in a surprise move, went to Balakrishna's residence and spent about three hours with him, making efforts to work out a patch up formula with other family members like Harikrishna, who has been keeping away from the party activities for some time.

The meeting also assumed importance as it was being said that Naidu was asking Balakrishna to negotiate with other family members so that they could once again project that the entire family was united and was with the party. This being the election year, Naidu does not want to give any chance to his opponents to say that he has not only been able to stop defections from the party, but also could not even keep his family members together.

It is said that Naidu discussed various issues with Balakrishna over lunch. He is learnt to have asked Balakrishna to talk to Harikrishna and put an end to the differences that had arisen ever since Kodali Nani, who is said to be close to Harikrishna and his actor son Jr NTR, had started distancing from the TDP.

Though Harikrishna had denied this, he and his son's followers in Krishna district were unhappy with the domination of TDP's Krishna district president Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao. It was because of this discontent that Nani decided to leave the party and join YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

Naidu wants to prove that all was well in the Nandamuri family ahead of Mahanadu slated for May 27. He was keen on Harikrishna's active participation in Mahanadu.

It is also being said that Naidu wants Balakrishna to play a bigger role in the party. Source claimed that the talks even centred round the constituency which would be best suited for Balakrishna during the 2014 elections.