Crisis deepens in Telangana TDP as senior leaders walkout of meet

The crisis in the Telangana unit of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) deepened on Friday with senior leaders demanding an explanation from working president A Revanth Reddy about his meeting with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

The senior leaders staged a walkout from the Politburo meeting exposing two different opinions about the party’s future course of action regarding electoral alliances.

“We did not expect Revanth Reddy to attend today's meeting. But he came, very shamelessly. When asked about his meeting with Rahul Gandhi, he refused to answer,” senior leader Motkupalli Narsmihulu said.

Motkupalli told reporters that he also asked Reddy why he targeted TDP leaders from Andhra Pradesh after returning from New Delhi.

Another leader, Aravind Kumar Goud, said Reddy has to explain why he is hell-bent on selling party cadre to the Congress.

“Along with him, he is planning to take the cadre to the other party. We will explain everything to the national president after he returns from his foreign trip,” Goud said.

The meeting was cancelled after senior leaders staged a walkout.

On the other hand, Reddy's supporters, who accompanied him to the party headquarters here, said they have to rethink over continuing in the TDP if party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tries to warm up to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

“Reddy symbolises the anti-KCR (TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao) sentiment. If Naidu has plans to join hands with the TRS, then we will all come out of the TDP,” a young supporter said. They alleged that Motkupalli is a TRS agent.

However, a faction of Reddy's supporters from his constituency, Kodangal in Mahbubnagar district, said that they prefer joining the TRS.

These supporters say that Reddy cannot take them for a ride and that they are free to choose their future.