The series of desertions by Telugu Desam Party legislators from Telangana continues to haunt party president and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, despite his best efforts to keep the flock together.
This was amply evident after the conspicuous absence of three Telangana TDP legislators at the “bus yatra” that was flagged off on Friday to tour all the Telangana districts to call on distressed farmers, but with the hidden agenda of indulging in TRS and KCR bashing.
Much to the chagrin of the TDP boss, three party legislators Challa Dharma Reddy, Manchireddy Kishan Reddy and R Krishnaiah were conspicuous by their absence when the bus yatra commenced on Friday morning.
This has clearly indicated that some of the TTDP legislators were still vacillating about leaving TDP to join the TRS. As a matter of fact there were speculations that these fence-sitters along with few others were attracted and bowled by the overtures of TRS.
Though five T-TDP legislators had called on KCR on Thursday to express their desire to join the TRS and even announced the same to waiting media personnel, two of them --- Challa Dharma Reddy and T Prakash Goud -- later denied the same and asserted that there was no question of leaving TDP.
This sudden change of heart seemed to have taken place after Naidu held a brainstorming session with the TTD legislators late in the evening.
