8 Congress, YSRC MLCs defect to TDP
HYDERABAD: The TDP, which had suffered defections during the 10-year period when it was in the opposition, seems to be turning the tables on its rivals and poaching lawmakers from the Congress and the YSRC in Seemandhra so as to break the morale of the two parties.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP boss N Chandrababu Naidu inducted as many as eight MLCs into his party on here Saturday.
The MLCS who joined the yellow party at Lake View Guest House here are: Angoori Lakshmi Shiva Kumari, Balashali Indira, KVV Satyanarayana Raju alias Chaitanya Raju, Shaik Hussain, Balashali Indira, R Reddeppa Reddy, Bachala Pullaiah and Gade Srinivasulu Naidu. Of these, Shaik Hussain is from YSRC; some are from Congress and there are some independents.
After becoming the members of TDP, some MLCs said they had opted to join the yellow party as they believed that the truncated AP would only be developed under the leadership of Naidu.
'We have joined the TDP as we are of the view that all politicos should extend their support to Chief Minister Naidu to reconstruct Seemandhra from scratch,' said MLC Chaitanya Raju.
The move by the TDP leadership to poach MLCs of the Congress and the YSRC is being seen by many as a step towards increasing its numerical strength in the Legislative Council, where the ruling party is outnumbered by Congress members. Sources say, the party is luring MLCs from other parties with the intention of taking up the post of chairman of the Upper House.
The TDP is also said to be in the process of luring some of the MLAs of the YSRC to openly announce their support to Naidu's government.
The TDP leadership's efforts to poach the lawmakers from its rival parties has invited a sharp criticism from the Andhra PCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy.
'Naidu is engineering defections from other political parties as he is insecure about his political future. It shows his political bankruptcy,' Raghuveera said.
The APCC chief wanted those MLCs who joined the TDP to resign from the membership of the Council if they have any moral values.
Former minister and Congress leader in the Council C Ramachandraiah too attacked Naidu for encouraging defections from other parties.
Meanwhile, TDP leader and Rajya Sabha member CM Ramesh, who is said to be playing the headhunter's role in the TDP to lure lawmakers from other parties to join it, defended Naidu's decision of inducting MLCs from other parties into the TDP.
'We are not engineering defections from any party to the TDP. Some of the lawmakers are preferring to join the TDP as they believe AP would be developed only under the Naidu's leadership,' he said.
More numbers in council
The move by the TDP leadership to poach MLCs of the Congress and the YSRC is being seen by many as a step towards increasing its numerical strength in the Legislative Council, where the ruling party is outnumbered by Congress members.
News Posted: 22 June, 2014
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