Guntur: Group politics continue to haunt Telugu Desam, damaging the image of the party among the public.
The election to the new executive committee for the famous NTR Stadium was announced. TD leaders are winning the committee for the past few years.
Earlier, Guntur West MLA M. Venugopala Reddy asked for giving chilli yard chairman post to his followers but in vain as it was given to M. Subba Rao, follower of minister for agriculture. In this backdrop, Mr Venugopala Reddy planned to select his followers to the NTR Stadium committee but the followers of minister Prattipati Pulla Rao ente-red the scene, put pressure on the officials through Mr Pulla Rao and finally the election was postponed.
Senior TD leaders are lamenting about group politics damaging TD image in the forthcoming Guntur Municipal Corporation elections thereby benefiting the opposition parties.
The recent episode of differences between minister for social welfare R. Kishore Babu and Guntur Zilla Parishad chairperson Sk Johny Moon damaged the TD image and finally intervention of Chief Minister N. Chand-rababu Naidu temporarily settled the matter.
According to sources, the supporters of Venugopala Reddy had failed to get nominated posts despite putting all efforts. The MLA suggested chilli yard chairman post be given to V. Sambasiva Reddy, but it went to Subba Rao. The followers of MLA V. Ramakrishna, N. Tirupa-taiah, G. Prasad, K. Mala-kondaiah, C. Lokeswara Rao, K. Ramaiah, K. Seshu Kumari and P. Srialatha on Thursday filed their nominations for various posts of the committee.
But the things suddenly changed on Thursday night as the opposition groups pressurised minister Pulla Rao, who after consulting with TD district president G.V. Anja-neyulu, proposed the postponement of election and the orders were issued which dashed the dreams of the MLA’s followers.
Senior TD leaders, on the condition of anonymity, said that the Congress culture of groupism is spreading in the TD, which is not good. They said that already opposition parties are making efforts to grab prestigious Guntur Municipal Corpo-ration elections by conducting house-to-house campaign. Hence, group politics would damage the TD in the future elections. So, the TD high command should end groups in the party, they felt.
GMC deputy commissioner D. Srinivasa Rao, who is the election officer, informed that he is the nodal officer to the quality control team of Swachch Sarvekshan which would visit Guntur on Jan. 28.
