On a day when BJP national president Amit Shah addressed a party meeting in Hyderabad, his ally TDP’s national chief N. Chandrababu Naidu attended the annual conclave of his party’s Telangana unit in the city.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are alliance partners at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, but working separately in Telangana.
Amit Shah, who was on a visit to Telangana for last three days, stated on Tuesday that BJP’s alliance with the TDP was only for Andhra Pradesh, hinting that his party will go alone in 2019 elections in Telangana.
BJP’s Telangana leadership has already stated that they will have no truck with the TDP as it is seen as anti-Telangana party in the newly-created state.
Despite the crisis faced by the TDP in Telangana due to many top leaders and legislators switching loyalties to ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) over last three years, Naidu flew down to Hyderabad to address party’s annual conclave to boost the morale of the party cadre.
All praise for the hard work of TDP cadre, he said that the TDP workers were his real source of inspiration and the party’s strength.
“I am more indebted to TDP workers than to my family members,” said Naidu.
He recalled that N. T. Rama Rao floated the party for the self-respect of Telugu people. He said it was TDP which brought many reforms in Telangana by doing away with ‘patel patwari’ system and introduced many schemes for the welfare of people.
Naidu also recalled how he developed Hyderabad when he was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Though Naidu avoided any harsh criticism of the TRS, TDP’s Telangana unit leaders came down heavily on TRS government for its failures on various fronts. The day-long conclave passed resolutions on the government’s failures to come to the rescue of farmers, provide jobs to the unemployed and in fulfilling various poll promises.
TDP’s Telangana unit president L. Ramna said the people of Telangana would teach a lesson to TRS.