'Resignation' of Errabelli causes a flutter in TDP

HYDERABAD: Reports of senior TDP leader and TDP Telangana Forum convenor Errabelli Dayakar Rao's resignation on Monday caused a flutter in the party.

There were reports that Errabelli resigned from the post of TDP's T-Forum convener and faxed his resignation to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and was contemplating quitting the TDP and joining the Congress.

As soon as Naidu got the news of Errabelli's plan, he deployed Telangana leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Garikapati Mohan Rao, MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy and MLC Vem Narender Reddy, to meet Errabelli. They tried to convince him that Naidu is expediting the process of setting up a separate committee for Telangana.

However, when confronted by mediapersons on the issue, Naidu denied that Errabelli had resigned from the party. 'I do not have knowledge of the incident. Nothing such has happened,' he clarified.

On a day when two of his party's legislators _ Bodh MLA Nagesh and Dornakal MLA Satyavati Rathod _ joined the rival Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), he said: 'One cannot help if some decide to leave thinking that they will get votes only by joining other parties.

People are wise and will not patron such leaders.' The party had many leaders lined up to fill the void left by such defectors in Telangana, he said.

After Naidu's mediators left, Dayakar Rao held a meeting with his supporters and convinced them to remain in the party and fight to strengthen the party in Telangana.

Later, speaking to the media, Errabelli said that he was very much with the party and would work to strengthen the party. He said the TDP was a party for the Dalits, BCs and other downtrodden sections and hence it should remain in Telangana.

According to sources, sensing that the trouble may go out of hand, Chandrababu started preparations to constitute a five-member committee for Telangana. The committee may have Errabelli, Mothkupalli Narasimhulu, L Ramana, Mandava Venkateshwar Rao and Revuri Prakash Reddy.

The sources said that Errabelli had been asking Naidu to set up a separate committee for Telangana but Naidu told him that such a committee could be set up after the appointed day of new state was announced.

The committee issue has acquired urgency with the alleged keenness of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao to weaken the TDP in Telangana. Errabelli is also unhappy at the news that TDP chief will play the BC card in Telangana and his name is not there among the most probable persons to head a future TTDP committee.

Last week, TDP MLAs Mahender Reddy (Tandur) and KS Ratnam ( Chavella) and MLC P Narender had joined the TRS.

Meanwhile, former minister and senior TDP leader Ch Ayyanapatrudu, criticised Naidu for admitting the 'deadwood' from other parties into the TDP.

Ayyanapatrudu, who has been critical of his party boss ever since Naidu decided to admit former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao into the TDP, wondered why the TDP chief was so desperate to let turncoats and tainted leaders from other parties into the TDP.