Lokesh fails to convince Kukatpally MLA

Krishna Rao says he is willing to join the ruling TRS

Hyderabad: The efforts made by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to see that Kukatpally MLA Krishna Rao does not quit do not seem to have yielded any result. With reports pouring in that Rao was in the process of finalising the date of his entry into the pink party, TTDP leader L Ramana took Rao to Nara Lokesh who had a detailed discussion with him. According to insiders, Rao told Lokesh that he was contemplating to quit TDP as he felt that he was being sidelined in the party and no importance was being given to him.

He said he had brought his grievances to the notice of party president N Chandrababu Naidu but still he was not called and no leader including the party president tried to find out what exactly was the problems he was facing and what his grievances were. Lokesh tried to explain Rao that he should look at long term benefits as the future belongs to TDP in Telangana.

He told him that he should not take any decision in a hurry. Lokesh suggested that Rao should first meet Naidu and discuss his problems threadbare before taking a final decision. The Kukatpally MLA has claimed that important leaders of the Telangana TDP unit were in touch with the TRS leadership to pave way for their entry into the ruling party.

He said he had told the TRS mediators that he would join the ruling party if the government included 26 castes in the list of Backward Classes. However, TDP leaders say that Rao was not planning to join the party on his own but was being forced to do so as no funds for development of his constituency were coming from the government. The TTDP leaders like L Ramana and E Dayakar Rao alleged that the TRS government was resorting to arm-twisting tactics to wean away TDP MLAs in view of the ensuing GHMC elections.