The TDP leaders of Telangana region, who had repeatedly asserted that party chief N Chandrababu Naidu would send a letter to the Centre on the vexatious Telangana issue by September 17—Hyderabad Liberation Day—are a dispirited and disenchanted lot now.
While the TDP president was in a quandary till a few days back on the issue of sending a fresh letter to the Centre in favour of separate Telangana State, it is now the turn of the party leaders from the T region to face a piquant situation, as all indications show that Chandrababu is not likely to send any such letter in the near future. It is clear now that the Seemandhra leaders of the party have succeeded in prevailing upon the Party Chief against sending the letter, by threatening to resign en masse from the party, if the party supreme insists on sending a letter now.
Some of the Telangana leaders of the party are still entertaining a hope that their leader would take a decision in favour of sending letter at the State-level meeting of the party scheduled to take place on Monday (September 24). But, the Seemandhra leaders of the party say that the September 24 meeting was specifically meant to discuss on the proposed Padayatra of Chandrababu Naidu and decide on the name of the yatra, the venue from where it has to be started and other related matters. There was no scope for discussion on the T issue at the meeting, they pointed out and also added that even if the matter was raised by some one from the T region, the Seemandhra leaders were fully geared up to counter the move of any discussion on the T issue.
As a matter of fact, the Seemandhra leaders have already made their stand crystal clear on the issue, and hence Chandrababu Naidu would not like to give any chance for discussion on the matter at Monday meet, it is learnt. The Seemandhra leaders have already provided a strategy to be adopted by their Chief on the T issue. They have prevailed upon Naidu to demand the Congress party to make its stand clear first on the issue, so that the TDP would take a decision later. They also point out that neither the Centre nor any other authorized body had sought the views of TDP on the issue and hence there was no need for the party to send any letter at this juncture.
As predicted by a section of the media earlier (NSS on September 12), the chances of the TDP chief sending a letter to the Centre in the near future appears to be far, far remote. Needless to say, the T leaders of the TDP are now in a quandary, as all their efforts to prompt Chandrababu to send the letter have proved futile.
–Agencies