HYDERABAD: In just six months Nava Telangana Party (NTP) founded by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) breakaway leader T Devender Goud, is shutting shop.
The party leaders and cadres are joining the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) in a great merger which the Goud’s followers describe as a ‘historic necessity.’ After day long deliberations on the pros and cons of migration into Chiranjeevi’s camp, the youngest party wedded to Telangana cause (formed on July 14, 2008) has authorised Devender Goud to formalise its decision but requested him to ensure that Chiranjeevi, after coming to power, would pass a resolution in the State Assembly on Telangana issue and that he would support a party at the Centre which favoured formation of Telangana state.
On the flip side, the decision of the NTP to merge with PRP is making K Chandrasekhar Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) look strong since he would be the sole champion of the Telangana cause in the electoral battle field that lies ahead.
After quitting the TDP, where he held several important positions of power for over 2 decades, Devender launched his NTP with a slogan of social justice to attract the masses of Telangana. He toured 2,500 km in the Telangana region in the name of the “Atmagurava yatra". He also organised several programes on public issues and even lobbied with political leaders at national level to garner support for separate Telangana.
He launched party wings which made several apolitical leaders join the party besides some TRS cadres too were feeling choked in the TRS camp.