Hyderabad: Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that his party will contest in as many as five states in the next Parliament elections and for a few Assembly seats as well.
Addressing an impressive rally in Mahbubnagar on Thursday, he said the party plans to contest in 76 parliamentary constituencies.
Apart from Telangana, Mr Naidu has set his sights on the neighbouring Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra and also cities like Surat and Delhi.
Coming down heavily on the TRS for what he called as “engineering defections”, Mr Naidu said the TD will not lose much if an MLA or two defect to the regional party.
“Several attempts have been made in the past to slay the TD but none could succeed,” he said. Reacting to Mr Naidu’s remarks, Telangana finance minister Etala Rajender said the Telugu Desam will be wiped out of Telangana after the TRS plenary on Friday.
Hitting out at Mr Naidu, commercial taxes minister T. Srinivas Yadav, who quit the TD to join the TRS, said, “He and other Telugu Desam leaders are worried the party would be wiped out soon hence they are indulging in loose talk against TRS,” he said.
TD MLA A. Revanth Reddy, however, said, “Former CM Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had said once that he would eliminate the TD from political sphere.
But within 48 hours, he became a dove and was off near Pavuralla Gutta (where YSR died). Now, KCR makes similar statement.” Both the YSRC and the TRS have denounced the remark. The TRS slammed him saying that he is “working at the feet of an Andhra leader”.
