TDP legislator plays hide-and-seek with Jagan, Naidu

Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu entrusted the job of convincing estranged party Nandigama legislator Vallabaneni Vamsi to party seniors as a last resort. Vamsi met YSRCP chief, Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy recently and tendered resignations to his MLA's post and TDP primary membership through a WhatsApp message.

Vamsi, who defeated his nearest rival and YSRCP leader Yarlagadda Venkatrao wrote to Naidu that he had no other option than quitting the party as the local YSRCP leadership and the official machinery were hell-bent on stopping him from functioning efficiently. He alleged that the police were used by the government to slap fake cases against the TDP cadre in the Nandigama assembly area and he had to leave the party to save the cadre from harassment.

However, Vamsi was spotted at the gates of Chief Minister Jagan’s official residence in Tadepalli along with Kodali Nani, the Gudivada YSRCP MLA and state minister. In a reply to the party MLA’s resignation letter, Naidu wrote back asking him not to take any hasty decision and stick to the party in the troubled time. Naidu offered his services to deal with the crisis Vamsi faced because of the ruling party.

However, Vamsi, who wrote to Naidu thanking him, appeared along with former TDP MP Sujana Choudary who recently joined BJP, confirming the reports that the BJP is wooing Kamma leaders of TDP with the help of Sujana. Vamsi, also a Kamma by caste, gave out enough signals that he might join the national party to save himself and his cadre from the onslaught of Jagan’s administration.

On Monday, Vijayawada MP and prominent Kamma leader in TDP, Kesineni Nani who was assigned by Naidu to talk to Vamsi held a closed-door meeting with the estranged young leader for more than an hour. “I tried to convince him that he has TDP DNA in his blood and he can’t leave the party when the party needs him,” the MP said.

Even as Vamsi remained noncommittal, it is believed the ruling party is keen on roping in Vamsi, giving a big blow to Naidu in the key district of Krishna.