In yet another setback to the beleaguered Telugu Desam Party in Telangana, its senior leader Tulla Veerender Goud, who had been heading the youth wing of the party in Telangana, is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Veerender is the son of veteran TDP leader and former Rajya Sabha member T Devender Goud, who held several posts in the party and the government for over three decades.
Veerender, who resigned from the post of Telugu Yuvatha and also primary membership of the party on September 30, left for New Delhi in the morning and would formally join the BJP in the presence of party’s working president J P Nadda later in the evening.
In his resignation letter addressed to party president N Chandrababu Naidu, Veerender said he was thankful to the party for giving him an opportunity to grow as a leader. “But I am pained at the way the party has been losing its principles and core philosophy in the recent past. Hence, I am unable to continue in the party,” he said.
Veerender, who contested the last assembly elections on the TDP ticket from Uppal assembly constituency in Hyderabad, had been contemplating joining the BJP for quite some time. He and his father had met the BJP bosses in Delhi last month.
{{/usCountry}}Veerender, who contested the last assembly elections on the TDP ticket from Uppal assembly constituency in Hyderabad, had been contemplating joining the BJP for quite some time. He and his father had met the BJP bosses in Delhi last month.
{{/usCountry}}The defection of Veerender is a big blow to the TDP in Telangana, which had already witnessed switching over of several other senior leaders including Rajya Sabha member Garikapati Mohan Rao, former minister E Peddi Reddy and former MLAs Revuri Prakash Reddy and M Narasimhulu into the BJP.
Some others like present Khammam MP Nama Nageshwara Rao and Sattupalli MLA S Venkata Veeraiah defected to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.
Along with Veerender, several other TDP leaders from Andhra are also all set to join the BJP in the evening.