Hyderabad, Sep 27: A day after TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Telangana issue, the party plunged into a crisis with the resignation of a senior leader from Rayalaseema region.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy Thursday announced his resignation from the party while two legislators from the same region also threatened to quit.
Byreddy, who recently went on hunger strike demanding separate statehood to Rayalaseema region in the event of division of Andhra Pradesh, found fault with Naidu for not mentioning Rayalaseema issue in the letter.
The former legislator criticized Naidu for not respecting the sentiments of Rayalaseema people, though he was born in the same region.
”Rayalaseema is more important for me than politics and that is why I am ending my 19-year-long association with TDP,” said Byreddy, who comes from Kurnool, one of the four districts of Rayalaseema.
He announced that his Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi would be above politics and would fight to protect the interests of the region. He also threatened to disrupt Naidu's padyatra, which he is scheduled to launch on Oct 2 from Rayalaseema region.
TDP legislators Praveen Kumar and Amarnath Reddy also openly criticized Naidu for writing the letter on Telangana and threatened to quit if Naidu failed to take into consideration the sentiments of Rayalaseema people.
Naidu, in his letter to the prime minister, had demanded immediate resolution of the Telangana issue. He wanted the central government to convene an all-party meeting but, did not spell out his party's stand on the demand for separate Telangana state.
A section of TDP leaders from Telangana are also unhappy with Naidu for not supporting the demand for Telangana state.
