Minister for Civil Supplies in AP, Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao, alias Kodali Nani is known for his hard hitting comments on TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu. He leaves no opportunity to hurl abuses at the TDP leaders, mostly targeting Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh.

The latest is Nani’s free talk on the national party status of the TDP, which the leaders claim. They say that Chandrababu Naidu is the party’s national president and Lokesh is the national general secretary.

Kodali Nani, surprisingly picked up this topic and threw an open challenge to the TDP chief asking him to prove that the TDP is a national party. He wanted the TDP leaders to get a letter from the Election Commission of India stating that the TDP is the national party.

The TDP is present in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry. However, the party has no elected representatives either to their respective state legislatures or the Lok Sabha. It is only in Andhra Pradesh they have 23 MLAs, 15 MLCs, 3 Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha member.

The TDP does not fit the bill of the ECI to be declared or recognised as the national party, as it could not win even a single seat in Telangana Assembly in 2018 and no representation in other states where it claims its presence.

Kodali Nani, referring to all these issues, dared the TDP chief to prove that the party is the national party. He said he would quit politics if Naidu proved that the TDP is a national party. He wanted the TDP chief to show him the letter from the ECI recognising the TDP as the national party, If Naidu fails, he should quit politics, dared Kodali Nani. He also wanted the TDP leaders to stop terming Chandrababu Naidu as TDP national president and Nara Lokesh as TDP national general secretary.