RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM/ VIJAYAWADA: Former minister and senior Telugu Desam leader Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, who has been with the TDP since its inception in 1982, on Thursday, August 19, 2021, sent ripples across the party, expressing his displeasure over being sidelined by the party leadership, and indicating that he might resign from the party and quit politics on August 25.
Chowdary, the strongman from twin Godavari districts, told the media that he was forced to contemplate the decision as he was “humiliated and insulted”, besides being ignored by the party leadership – old and young.The six-time MLA claimed that he had made his sentiments clear to party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu that he had had enough and would like to leave the party and relinquish membership of the Assembly too.
However, reliable sources told TNIE that the veteran leader is unlikely to follow through on his threat. The sources said Chowdary was miffed that his recommendation for certain party posts had been ignored by Naidu and attributed his outburst to his long pending grievances.
Late Wednesday night, TDP chief Naidu had a telephonic conversation with the Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA to mollify him. Revealing this, Chowdary said he and the activists who he had mentored all these years were repeatedly insulted by the TDP leadership.
“I have never spoken out even when I was dislocated from Rajamahendravaram City constituency, which I had nurtured for nearly four decades. However, being a disciplined party worker, I went along with the party leadership’s decision. However, there was no response from the party leadership, when I was repeatedly insulted. It has hurt me and my self-respect,” he claimed.
Chowdary said even when he alerted the party leadership that it is giving undue importance to ‘Aya Ram Gaya Ram culture’ in the party, which will prove counterproductive, no one listened to his words and the result was evident.