Jolt to TDP in Telangana

3 MLAs and 1 MLC quit to join TRS

• The party was planning bus yatra from today
• Lokesh being chosen as T TDP chief: Talasani
• Naidu convenes an emergency meeting of T MLAs
• Rajendranagar MLA Prakash Goud retracts his step

Hyderabad: The Telangana Telugu Desam which was gearing up to embark on a bus yatra on Friday received a major jolt when three of its MLAs and one MLC decided to embrace TRS. Another MLA who also wanted to board the pink car is now said to be having second thoughts.

Those who have decided to join TRS were MLAs Talasani Srinivas Yadav (Sanathnagar), Teegala Krishna Reddy (Maheshwaram) Ch Dharma Reddy (Parkal) and MLC Gangadhar Goud. However, Rajendranagar MLA Prakash Goud appeared to be in two minds.

Coming out of KCRs camp office, Talasani said they had taken the decision to join TRS only to help KCR achieve the goal of 'Bangaru Telangana' (Golden State). He regretted that the TDP president, N Chandrababu Naidu, was goading them to undertake a bus yatra protesting against the inefficiency of the TRS government.

“We know that the Krishnapatnam Thermal Power Station is ready for inauguration, but it appears that Naidu does not want it to be commissioned simply because he would then have to give 54 per cent of the power generated to Telangana,” Talasani said.

He further added that Naidu was trying to promote his son, Lokesh, as the Telangana TDP president as if there was no leader from Telangana to become the president.

Teegala Krishna Reddy, who has been with the party for 33 years, said he had felt that as sons of Telangana they should join hands with a leader who was sincere about giving the new State an identity of its own, apart from safeguarding the self-respect of the people of Telangana. Gangadhar Goud said as the TDP’s district president, he was witness to a change in morale of the party, especially against the outlook of TDP president.

Following this development, Naidu convened an emergency meeting of T MLAs and senior party members. T TDP chief L Ramana, MLAs Errabelli Dayakar Rao, A Revanth Reddy, G Sayanna, Maganti Gopinath, Madhavaram Krishna Rao, Arikapudi Gandhi and Ravula Chandrasekhar Reddy were present in the meeting.

In the wake of Naidu’s attempts to stop the exodus of TDP leaders to TRS, Prakash Goud appears to have for now a change of heart. Later, Goud told media that he would not quit the party at any cost. He said he had met KCR only to seek development projects for his constituency.