The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) suffered a setback in Telangana on Saturday as the state working president and MLA, A Revanth Reddy, quit the party saying the recent happenings in the state unit pained him.
Revanth, who flew down to Vijayawada for a meeting with TDP supremo and Andhra Padesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is understood to have handed over his resignation letter to Naidu’s private secretary and immediately left for Hyderabad.
When asked about it, Chandrababu Naidu told reporters that he has not received Revanth’s resignation letter.
“Resignations are not new in TDP. Some people take decisions in their own interests,” he remarked.
Revanth was arrested in the “cash-for-vote” case after he was caught on camera allegedly offering money to a nominated MLA for his vote in the MLC election in 2015.
For the past few days, there has been a turmoil in Telangana TDP with reports claiming that Revanth, who is an MLA from Kodangal in Mahbubnagar district, met Rahul Gandhi and was about to join the Congress.
Revanth also caused a stir by accusing some leaders of Andhra Pradesh TDP, including two ministers, of securing huge financial contracts from the TRS government in Telangana.
{{/usCountry}}Revanth also caused a stir by accusing some leaders of Andhra Pradesh TDP, including two ministers, of securing huge financial contracts from the TRS government in Telangana.
{{/usCountry}}He, however, maintained a stoic silence over his future plans and had been saying that he would speak directly with Chandrababu Naidu upon the CM’s return from abroad.
He met Chandrababu Naidu in Hyderabad yesterday, but the TDP chief summoned Revanth and other party leaders from Telangana for a detailed meeting in Vijayawada on Saturday.
Revanth flew down to Vijayawada, visited the Kanaka Durga temple and came to the CM’s camp office for the meeting.
As the chief minister’s arrival was delayed, the rebel leader handed over his resignation letter to Chandrababu Naidu’s PS and left for Hyderabad.
Chandrababu was later closeted in a meeting with other leaders from Telangana
Revanth, who plans to join the main opposition Congress party, submitted his resignation to the TDP’s national president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati.
The young leader called on Naidu in here and submitted his resignation from the primary membership of the party. He stated in his letter that he had the utmost respect for Naidu’s leadership.
The move came on a day when Naidu had called the party’s Telangana leaders including Revanth to Amaravati to discuss the party affairs.
Naidu had met the TDP leaders here on Friday but the meeting was inconclusive. Several TDP leaders including state president L Ramna and M Narasimhulu were demanding that Revanth be expelled from the party for his open moves to cross over to Congress.
Revanth had reportedly called on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and conveyed his decision to join the party.
Hailing from Mahabubnagar district, he was considered one of the key leaders of the party in Telangana. In the 2014 elections, he was elected to Telangana assembly from Kodangal constituency.
In 2015, he was caught red-handed by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while offering Rs 50 lakh to nominated member of Telangana assembly Elvis Stephenson to lure him to vote for TDP candidate in legislative council elections.
He had recently made a sensational allegation that some Andhra Pradesh ministers got contracts worth hundreds of crores from Telangana government. He was also unhappy with some TDP leaders of Telangana for favouring a tie-up with ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
TDP has considerable weakened in the state following defection of 12 of its legislators to TRS during last three years.
With Revanth’s resignation, TDP’s tally in 119-member assembly will reduce to two.