TDP flag must in Telangana movement: Naidu

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu is firm on his stand that the party flag should fly high during the movement for separate Telangana in the region as all other parties were also participating along with their party flags. However, Naidu was not ready to take any disciplinary action against rebel MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy and his follower K Harishwar Reddy, who are participating in the T-movement without TDP flags. "Party will think about them," Naidu told reporters here on Wednesday.

Asked whether the ensuing party Maha Nadu would discuss the Telangana issue, Naidu evaded a direct reply but hastened to add that Justice BN Srikrishna Committee had submitted its report and now it was up to the Centre to act upon it. Naidu has already demanded the central government to take a stand on the Srikrishna report.

Regarding TDP's stand on the issue, the leader said: "The party has given a free hand to leaders of respective regions to fight in sync with the aspirations of the local people. When all the parties in the Telangana region were participating along with their party flags, TDP too has directed the party leaders to carry TDP flags," Naidu said.

He added: "At one or two places, party leaders organised meetings without party flags. The party will think about such leaders." Naidu endorsed the resolutions taken on Tuesday by the TTDP Forum and wanted them to go ahead with the padayatra from Hyderabad to Yadagirigutta.

However, Nagam Janardhan Reddy was planning to rake up the T-issue in the party Maha Nadu with a demand that the party give clarity on the same. Naidu did not respond to Nagam's demand that the party send a copy of TDP's resolution on T-issue to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Party sources said that though the TDP chief was earlier contemplating taking action against Nagam, he had changed his mind. There was intense pressure on Naidu to take action against Nagam after he conducted the Nagarkurnool meeting without party flags.

"But, taking action immediately after Nagam's meeting would send a wrong signal to the people of Telangana and so, Naidu postponed his decision," a senior leader from Telangana told Express.