Hyderabad, May 24: Trouble in the Telugu Desam Party over the Telangana issue seems to be deepening by the day even as party president N Chandrababu Naidu tries to checkmate a possible threat from senior party leader from Telangana N Janardhan Reddy, by pitting others from the same region against him.
A day after Naidu-loyalist Revanth Reddy warned Janardhan Reddy of stringent action if he continued his anti-party activities and insult the party leadership, many other TDP leaders from Telangana have come out in support of the latter.
Amid reports that pro-Chandrababu leaders from Telangana region want Janardhan Reddy to be expelled from the party, two MLAs from Telangana, Harishwar Reddy and Jogu Ramanna have warned against any such action. “Any action against Janardhan will be seen as an action against the people of Telangana”, Harishwar Reddy said.
Janardhan Reddy, who is carrying out a lonely campaign in support of Telangana state in the Telugu Desam Party, has written a letter to the party president demanding that he should send a communication to the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram spelling out TDP’s stand in favour of Telangana state.
Janardhanhas also irked Naidu and other TDP leaders by organising public meetings in support of Telangana without the name and the flag of the party.
In an indication that the cold war between Janardhan and Naidu was intensifying, Janardhan was also removed from the position of the head of the TDP Telangana Forum. He was replaced by the more pliable E Dayakar Rao.
Harishwar Reddy, in a letter addressed to Telangana Forum of the party asked whether it was achieving Telangana state or taking action against the senior Telangana leaders. Supporting the demand that Chandrababu should write to the Union Home Minister in support of Telangana state, Harishwar Reddy said, “The party should make its stand clear”.
In another related development, TDP legislator from Adilabad, Jogu Ramanna also warned that if Chandrababu does not write the letter to P Chidambaram, he will launch his own campaign in support of Telangana state. He also declared his support to Janardhan Reddy and demanded that the Telugu Desam Mahanadu conference should pass a resolution in support of Telangana State.
——–Agencies