The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Telugu Desam leaders downplay comments ‘made’ by Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 15, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Telugu Desam leaders downplay comments ‘made’ by Naidu

Special Correspondent

Umareddy and Kodela try to clear the air, vow to work for party’s success

Photo: Mohd. Arif

Messiah’s mantle: TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu covers his head with a blanket carrying a lamb at a roadshow in Sangareddy on Friday. -

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam leaders from Guntur have said that though there were differences in the party, they were minor in nature which could be resolved without causing harm to the outfit in any manner.

They dismissed as “false and exaggerated” reports in a section of media that the party president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, angrily commented that he may have to lock up the party office, if they continued to show their differences.

A day after Mr. Naidu’s purported comments at a party meeting created a stir in the party ranks in Guntur, two senior leaders from the district, Umareddy Venkateswarlu and Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, addressed a press conference here on Friday and sought to downplay the incident and clear the air. “The meeting was held in a congenial atmosphere,” they said.

Denying that the president had made such comments, they said all that he did was to express his anguish while calling upon the leaders and the cadre to sink their differences, if any and work unitedly to strengthen the party. “As party president, he is justified in expressing concern and pull up leaders if he so desired for making the party strong. There is nothing wrong in it and we promise to work for success of the party in the next elections.” Meanwhile, party sources said Mr. Naidu spoke to MLA D. Narendra Kumar in Guntur, amid reports that the latter was hurt by his remarks. He is believed to have told Mr. Kumar that his comments were not aimed at him

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh