Chandrababu under flak from partymen

Express News Service
First Published : 11 Dec 2009 03:36:00 AM IST
Last Updated :

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is under pressure from his own partymen, with some pointing fingers at him following the Centre’s announcemnt that a separate Telangana would be carved out. In fact, Naidu’s brotherin- law and TDP founder NTR’s son, N Harikrishna, is reported to have resigned as party politburo member.

However, this has not been confirmed by party sources as Harikrishna is currently in Delhi.

But a senior party leader told Express: ``Harikrishna has resigned.

The party has not taken any decision and is buying time given the resignation of MLAs of various parties.’’ Meanwhile, another brother-inlaw of Naidu, actor N Balakrishna, called up the former and urged him to take a unified Andhra stand.

Several leaders from Andhra and Rayalaseema are of the opinion that it was a ``costly mistake’’ by the party leadership deviating from founder president NT Ramarao’s integrationist ideology. Naidu, for his part, shot back, reminding leaders that the pro-Telangana stand of the party was a collective decision.

Despite its present difficult situation, the party will not retreat from its stand, said a politburo member, adding that the present crisis in the State was due to the ``sudden and unilateral decision’’ of the Congress.

In the lobbies of the Assembly, however, TDP legislator KE Krishna Murthy blamed Naidu for the ``fiasco’’, saying the TDP leadership had ``added fuel to the T- fire’’. The Centre’s decision had ``badly damaged’’ the interests of the people of Rayalaseema, he added.

Another leader known to be an integrationist, Nannapaneni Rajakumari, has blamed the Centre for ``taking a hasty decision without consulting anyone.’’ Several other MLAs from Andhra and Rayalaseema too have expressed their unhappiness with Naidu at a meeting this morning. The latter reminded them that the party took a pro-Telangana stand only after consulting leaders of all the three regions.

However that may be, resentment among TDP MLAs is clearly directed at Naidu.