The Telugu Desam Party, which has already faced a lot of humiliation in the hands of its ally Bharatiya Janata Party by ignoring Andhra Pradesh in the budget, has faced yet another insult from the Centre.
It was TDP MP from Machilipatnam Konakalla Narayana Rao, who faced the humiliation this time.
On Sunday, he had to cut a sorry figure in the party as well as his followers, when Union minister of state for power and renewable energy R K Singh skipped the get-together hosted by the MP at his residence in Machilipatnam, without even informing him.
It so happened that Singh came to Machilipatnam to attend a coordination meeting of the BJP in the town on Sunday. Since a Central minister is coming to his native constituency, Konakalla invited him to lunch at his house.
Singh agreed for the same and the MP made all the arrangements for a sumptuous get-together. He invited all his followers, VIPs and party leaders to the lunch.
But Singh kept Konakalla and other VIPs waiting for more than two hours and finally did not turn up for the lunch.
Apparently, the BJP leaders arranged the lunch for the minister at the meeting venue itself. They told Singh that it was not appropriate for him to attend the lunch hosted by the TDP MP, who protested against the Centre in Lok Sabha and made serious comments against the BJP.
They warned that his meeting with Konakalla would send a wrong signal to the party workers in the state.
So, Singh quietly left Machilipatnam soon after the meeting without even bothering to inform Konakalla, leaving the latter red-faced and dejected.
This incident is said to have further widened the gap between the BJP and the TDP!
