Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who has repeatedly said that he will clarify his party's stand on the Telangana issue, has put off a discussion on the issue once again.
Inaugurating a two-day meeting of the party's extended executive committee at NTR Bhavan here on Monday, Naidu said his party would discuss the Telangana issue only after three days. But he made it clear that the TDP was committed to protecting the pride of the Telugus.
But Naidu's "time-buying tactics" on the Telangana issue sees to have annoyed party legislators and leaders from the Telangana region. They held an informal meeting on the sidelines of this executive committee meeting and they disapproved of the dilly-dallying tactics of their party chief. Some of them felt that Seemandhra leaders in the party were forcing Naidu not to take a hasty decision as the Centre was not yet ready to resolve the issue in the near future.
"Under persistent pressure from the Seemandhra leaders, our party chief has once again put off his plans to clarify the party's stand on the Telangana issue," said a senior leader from the Telangana region.
After the recent bypolls the TDP chief himself announced that he would provide more clarity on the party's stance. Believing him, party leaders from the region went to town saying that the TDP would submit a fresh letter to the Union home ministry in the second week of September declaring its stand on Telangana. Needless to say, it did not happen.
Of late, party leaders have started saying that Naidu will come out with a definite statement before October 2 when he was expected to set out on a padayatra from the Telangana region.
But, contrary to the expectations, the TDP chief is persisting with his "wait and watch" attitude and keeping everyone guessing on his stand on the state's bifurcation issue. As if to rub salt into their wound, he has decided to start his padyatra from the Rayalaseema.