Too many leaders spoil TD’s broth

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, March 19, 2014:  Instead of giving a boost to the sagging fortunes of the party in Vizag, the joining of five MLAs, brought many a problem to the Telugu Desam (TD) in the district.

Amid strong opposition from local leaders, former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao and four other Congress MLAs joined TD  on March 12. MLAs, Muttamsetti Srinivaa Rao, Chintalapudi Venkata Ramaiah, Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, UV Ramanamurthy Raju (Kannababu) are the other MLAs who joined the party.

With the recent developments TD district vice president and wife of former Anakapalle MP, Gudivada Gurunatha Rao, Nagamani and son Gudivada Amarnath had resigned from the party. They joined YSRCP in the presence of its chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy in Hyderabad last week. 

There is lot of infighting in the party and TD leadership is worried that it will lead to debacle of the party in the district. While the MLAs who joined the party are seeking party tickets of the same constituencies they won in 2009, TD leaders who were nurturing those constituencies since last five years are opposing the same. This dissidence may spoil the chances of TD in Vizag, say political observers.

Party senior leader and politburo member, Ayyana Patrudu had already fired a salvo at the MLAs who joined the party in the ‘Praja Garjana’ that was held last week.

While Pendurthy MLA, Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, is planning to contest now from Vizag north, it has irked TD’s prominent face in Vizag and a Yadava leader, Bharanikana Rama Rao, who has been, nurturing hopes on the seat for more than 5 years. Similarly, Yelamanchali MLA, U V Ramanamurthy Raju, entry is also being opposed by local leaders.

Bheemili TD leaders like Raghuveer Sakuru, Appalanarasimha Raju also opposed, local MLA Muttamsetti Srinivas joining the party. They have expressed their displeasure openly, at many open forums.

To quell the dissidence, on Wednesday, Bheemili MLA, Srinivas had to tour his constituency on Wednesday visiting grass root leaders of TD to familiarize with them and also made thousands of Congress activists join the TD. He toured as many as 20 villages on Wednesday and expected to tour some more in the coming days to familiarize himself as a TD man.