Babu cares no more for Goud’s T daud

HYDERABAD: With pro-Telangana voices steadily increasing in volume and party chief N Chandrababu Naidu showing no signs of changing his one-State stance, it may be just a matter of time before the brewing discontent blows the lid off the TDP.

Naidu’s bugbear, T Devender Goud, has been quietly mobilising support of party leaders in Telangana districts to make his silent defiance of the party line and Naidu more pronounced.

Latest to join him is E Peddi Reddy who went on record saying the TDP should bring pressure on the government to introduce a bill for separate Telangana in the Assembly.

However, Naidu doesn’t seem to be unduly concerned. He is understood to have reached a stage where he cares no more about moves by the Telangana forces to consolidate. He has come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter even if Goud quits the party.

He had said so openly: “I told him whatever I wanted to say. It is up to him.” Naidu is of the opinion that T-voices within the party will end up helping the Congress.

Goud has taken Naidu’s comments as a personel affront. “If Naidu does not take a stand on Telangana, it clear indicates that he will not change his view and is implying that those, who do not agree with him, are welcome to leave,” Goud reportedly pointed out to his colleagues.

The Goud camp is also annoyed with rumours doing the rounds that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhara Rao is in touch with Naidu. Goud camp feels the TDP-TRS ‘tele talk’ is nothing but a move to isolate Goud.

Though Goud remained indoors after the recent meeting of the five-member committee on Telangana in Vizianagaram district, the politician in him has been active. He is working from home contacting all the Telangana leaders.

Senior leaders, close to Goud, are meeting him regularly. Goud has succeeded fairly well in convincing T leaders within the TDP to join his camp. As a result, seniors like Ch Rajeswara Rao, E Peddireddy and K Srihari have toughened their stand on Telangana and are deliberately disobeying the TDP chief.

Kovvur MLA P Krishna Rao yesterday alleged that Srihari was harming the party’s interests. Today, Srihari called Krishna Rao a drunkard. The infighting is gradually turning into a conflict between Telangana and Andhra leaders.