TDP to present Dasara ‘gift’ to Telanganites

07 Oct 2008 06:16:00 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam party (TDP), which was founded to protect the ‘self-respect’ and unification of Telugus, will take a pro-Telangana stand Tuesday.

The 26-year old party will present a Dasara gift to Telangana people by deviating from its earlier stand of united Andhra Pradesh.

The party’s five-member core committee on Telangana, which met twice earlier and elicited the opinions of party seniors on the issue, Monday submitted its report to party chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Committee members K Yerran Naidu, Y Ramakrishnudu, E Dayakar Rao, KE Krishna Murthy and N Janardhan Reddy called on Naidu at his residence Monday.

A majority of party leaders, especially from the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions, told the committee that they would have no objection if the party took a pro-Telangana stand.

The committee told Naidu that the majority opinion in the party was in favour of statehood for Telangana.

The committee also discussed other issues with Naidu such as similar demands from Rayalaseema and Andhra.

The Politburo, the party’s highest policy-making body, will meet tomorrow to discuss the committe’s report and is likely to take a pro-Telangana stand. But it is not known if the party will announce its pro-Telangana stand tomorrow itself or wait for the right time to do so.

‘‘We have discussed several issues with Naidu. We only briefed him on the outcome of our meetings with leaders. You will hear more tomorrow,’’ a member told to this website's newspaper. He meant that the party would take a decision Tuesday.

According to sources, the Politburo will adopt a resolution favouring formation of Telangana state. The wording of the resolution will be simple and straight, without going into details. It will, in a way, serve the interests of the party in all the three regions. After taking the pro-Telangana stand, the party may withdraw its letter given to the UPA Sub-Committee on Telangana.

The party will assure Telangana people that it will work for adoption of a resolution by the Assembly on State’s division, if voted to power. It may also consider introducing a private resolution in the last session of the present Assembly.

G Butchaiah Chowdary, a senior leader from Andhra, told to this website's newspaper that the party would take a decision tomorrow.

Welcoming the change in party’s stand, he said a pro-Telangana stand would not harm the interests of the party in the other regions. In fact, Andhra too would be developed if Telangana was carved out, he opined.

vvbalakrishna@epmltd.com