Hyderabad, January 04: Telangana tremors once again rocked the main opposition party, the Telugu Desam, today with two of its MLAs Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy and Suddala Devaiah threatening to resign and join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Though the TDP is likely to follow the TRS line and boycott the all- party meeting in Delhi on January 6, the party’s Telangana leaders are worried over their political future if they continue in the TDP.
More MLAs and senior leaders are likely to jump on the TRS bandwagon soon.
Since the worst-ever performance of their party in the recent by-elections in 12 Assembly constituencies in the Telangana region, several TDP leaders have been in constant touch with TRS leaders, waiting for the right time to switch loyalties.
After the bypolls, a Politburo member told Express that TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao was in touch with him over phone.
As the BN Srikrishna Committee report will be circulated at the Delhi allparty meeting, the TDP leaders are considering it an opportunity to quit their party and join the separatist party.
Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy said: “The party cadre in my constituency is bringing pressure on me to support a party which is strongly in favour of separate Telangana state. I will convene a meeting of party workers and take a decision soon.” Reddy has, however, decided to meet party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday to explain the reasons to quit the party.
Choppadandi MLA Devaiah said that he too would convene a meeting with his followers in a couple of days and take a decision.
Two more MLAs Gampa Govardhan from Kamareddy and Hanumanth Shinde from Jukkal in Nizamabad district are likely to follow in Pocharam’s foot steps.
Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar is also unwilling to continue in the party, sources said.
It may be recalled that Srinivasa Reddy and Devaiah were dropped from Naidu’s cabinet after they became involed in some cases. While, Reddy faced allegations of involvement in a stationery scam, Devaiah figured in a case of murder.
Notwithstanding these developments, the Telangana TDP Forum will convene a meeting tomorrow to request TDP chief not to send any representative from the party to the Delhi meeting. Though TDP Telangana leaders claim that TDP is committed to separate Telangana and clearly stated that in its manifesto, people are not trusting the party since it is headed by a leader who subscribes to the ‘infamous’ two-eye policy. The reason why most of them are thinking of quitting the TDP is that they believe the party has no credibility in the Telangana region.
Asked about these developments, Naidu said Srinivasa Reddy was meeting him tomorrow but did not say that the two MLAs would not leave the party. Asked about TDP attending the Delhi meeting on January 6, Naidu said that they would discuss the issue and take a decision.
–Agencies