TDP sees no need to defend NDA leaders

By Our Special Correspondent

MARCH 25. The Telugu Desam Party's politburo felt there was no need to gravitate any closer towards the ruling alliance by participating in NDA meetings or the rallies organised by it for defending leaders implicated in the Tehelka expose.

The politburo appreciated the immediate response of the party president and Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, in demanding an independent enquiry into the various defence deals exposed in the tapes. The meeting was attended by the Revenue Minister, Mr. P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, Mr. C. Ramachandraiah, MP, and others.

Briefing reporters later, the TDP spokesman, Mr. R. Chandrasekhara Reddy, said the politburo decided to create a corpus for funding party activities in its endeavour to reduce the influence of money power on politics.

All party MLAs, MPs and Corporation chairpersons would be asked to contribute 10 per cent of their basic pay to this corpus. An appeal would also be issued through a newly-created website to the TDP cadre and well-wishers to donate suitable amounts to the party fund. The cadre would be told that they should try to win people's hearts with sincere work and not with money.

Mahanadu

Mr. Reddy said Visakhapatnam and Tirupati had been shortlisted for holding the TDP's mini-Mahanadu in May. A final decision had been left to the Telugu Desam Legislature Party meeting convened to meet here on April 1.

The TDLP would also fix the dates for elections to the district party committees. Apart from MLAs, party MPs, district convenors and constituency in-charges would be invited to attend the TDLP meeting.

An estimated 40,000 partymen would attend the Mahanadu. They would include village committee presidents to whom a detailed agenda would be sent in advance by the subjects committee constituted for the purpose.

On the ongoing Assembly session, the meeting noted that the average attendance of party MLAs was only 70 per cent with Rangareddi accounting for only 59 per cent. It directed MLAs to improve attendance and ensure that Government Bills were passed without hiccups.

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Section  : Southern States
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