Date:27/11/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/27/stories/2003112705740400.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Second-rung TDP leaders feel neglected

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI Nov. 26. Second-rung leaders in the TDP in the district are increasingly being seen letting out steam at the party leadership for what they call their neglect all along. Constituency-level coordination committee meetings are becoming platform for them to give vent to their pent-up feelings against the District Minister, B.Gopalakrishna Reddy, the MLAs concerned and the District party convenor, G.Rameshchandra Prasad.

The meetings are being held at the instance of the party high command to prepare the cadres for the coming elections, ironing out the differences between the leaders and groups, finalising district-specific strategy for the election and so on. They are feeling that the party leadership is using them only during the election time and discarding them later. At many places the party's rank and file have said as much openly hardly concealing their ire at the district and the State party leadership for their `opportunistic approach'. In fact, almost a similar situation is prevailing in the district Congress camp but it is more pronounced in the TDP. The situation was no different at the coordination committee meeting held here on Wednesday for the Tirupati constituency with the district Minister, B.Gopalakrishna Reddy, presiding. Half way through the proceedings, there was a commotion when two leaders engaged themselves in a verbal duel over a particular `group' walking away with bulk of the posts in the constituency. As such, with what face can we ask them to work for the party, he was heard arguing with the Minister and others.

But Mr. Gopalakrishna Reddy finally succeeded in placating disgruntled persons. He used the occasion to exhort the rank and file in the Tirupati constituency to prevent the Congress from using the controversial G.O on some lands in Tirupati against the TDP. Though the GO has since been cancelled, the Opposition would play it up to whip up popular sentiments. But what caused an apparent embarrassment to the ruling dispensation in Tirupati is the recent murder that took place in the house of a prominent TDP leader.

While the leader pleaded that it was his watchman who was responsible for the murder and that his brother was being `framed' in the case, the Opposition parties, especially the Congress, had linked the murder to the fake stamp paper scam. The leader was also cut up with the party leadership for not coming to his rescue. But, for the first time the Minister touched upon the episode. The Minister faulted the Congress for linking the murder to the stamp scam. "You may link us that way even to the Kargil scam," he taunted the Congress.