Telangana CM Chandrashekar Rao eyes more Telugu Desam MLAs

Hyderabad: The TRS leadership is eyeing more MLAs and prominent leaders from the TD in a bid to weaken it in the GHMC area and Telangana.

Telugu Nadu Students Federation president Anjaneya Goud quit the TD and joined the TRS in the presence of finance minister Etela Rajender on Saturday.

Some more GHMC corporators and TD leaders are expected to join the TRS. The finance minister asked other TD leaders to reconsider staying with TD conspirators and work against Telangana’s interests or join Telangana people.

TRS sources say at least half a dozen TD legislators are being wooed in GHMC limits and other parts of Telangana. Some are willing to join the TRS and some are cats on the wall. The TRS is reportedly eyeing Kukatpally MLA Krishna Rao, Serilingampally MLA A. Gandhi, Rajendranagar MLA Prakash Goud, Ibrahimpatnam MLA Kishan Reddy (all from Ranga Reddy), Cantonment MLA Sayanna and Qutballapur MLA Vivekananda among others. But the MLAs have refuted the rumours of joining TRS.

“Many TD MLAs in Telangana are angry since every action of Mr Naidu against TS is putting them in the dock. The ruling TRS is the only option for them,” a TRS legislator said.

Finance minister Etela Rajender lambasted Telangana TD. “Do we need TD in Telangana which is against the Telangana people? For a few bucks leaders like E. Dayakar Reddy, Revanth Reddy are hatching a conspiracy against the TS people on behalf of Naidu,” he alleged.

Stating that the Secunderabad Cantonment Board elections had proved the strong presence of Telangana sentiment, he said the pink flag will soon flutter over GHMC too. "Telugu Desam leaders should decide whether they stand by Telangana people or continue with the conspiracy party," he asked while indirectly inviting TD leaders to join the TRS.

The entry of senior Telugu Desam leaders Tummala Nageswara Rao and T. Srinivas Yadav into the TRS and the bagging of plum ministerial posts has certainly raised curiosity in TD legislators and leaders who are sure of bagging some posts if they join the TRS.