HYDERABAD: The ruling TRS and its bitter rival TDP are at it once again. Both are getting ready for a ‘psychological war’ and are making all out efforts to win the same.
A day before the TRS plenary is to be held in the city, the TDP wanted to hold a massive public meeting in the state to be addressed by their president and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. On the other hand, the TRS wants to ‘poach’ another legislator of the TDP just at a time when Naidu is touring the state.
The TRS, which had set its eyes on TDP MLAs from the Greater Hyderabad limits, is trying to woo Ibrahimpatnam MLA Manchireddy Kishan Reddy into its fold. The Telangana TDP MLAs held a meeting on Tuesday in the house of its Legislature Party leader Erraballi Dayakar Rao. The Ibramhimpatnam MLA, however, gave a miss to the meeting.
Kishan Reddy convened a meeting with his supporters in his native Ibrahimpatnam around the same time to discuss his future course of action.
Dayakar Rao reportedly called up Kishan Reddy and tried to know the reason for his absence and also to convince him not to take any hasty step and distance himself from the party.
Meanwhile, the TTDP had decided to take out a massive rally from Hyderabad to Mahbubnagar as a show of strength on April 23. Naidu will be touring the district on April 23.
‘’We want to show that the party is still a force to reckon with in the state. The cadre is bouyed by the party chief’s successful tour in Karimnagar,’’ a senior leader said. On Kishan Reddy’s absence at the meeting, Dayakar Rao said that he told that he would meet him at a later date.
Kishan Reddy, on the other hand, told reporters after his meeting with his supporters that he would take a decision as per the opinion of his supporters. ‘’There is a mixed reaction (on joining the TRS). I will take a decision later,’’ he said.
Sources, however, said Kishan Reddy might join the TRS during the party’s plenary to be held on April 24 in the city. The TRS is of the view that by inducting Kishan Reddy into the party, it would further strengthen in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.
The TRS has already managed to attract two TDP MLAs from the Greater Hyderabad -- Talasani Srinivas Yadav and T Krishna Reddy -- into its fold apart from several former corporators of TDP and also the Congress.
‘’Apart from Ibrahimpatnam MLA, two more TDP MLAs from the Greater Hyderabad are likely to join us,’’ a TRS leader said.
The TRS is reportedly in touch with TDP MLAs Krishna Rao and Prakash Goud and are making all efforts to bring them into their fold.