Telugu Desam firms up strategy to beat Nagam

HYDERABAD: The Telangana crisis in the TDP deepened on Sunday with party chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s loyalist A Revanth Reddy warning rebel leader Nagam Janardhan Reddy of stringent action if he did not mend his ways.The warning is being seen as Naidu’s answer to Nagam who followed up his belligerent public posturing with a strongly-worded letter to the former chief minister. In the missive, Nagam demanded that Naidu write a letter to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram conveying the party’s support to a separate Telangana State. Sources say though Nagam’s comments are “unpalatable”, the party is averse to expelling him as it could be construed as “witch-hunt” of a leader fighting for the T cause. For now, in a bid to beat Nagam at his own game, Naidu loyalists appear to have finalised a strategy under which they themselves will launch programmes in support of Telangana.Any action against Nagam might be contemplated thereafter. The TDP chief’s men hope that by that time, Nagam’s “movement” loses its steam. “We are organising Telangana Rana Bheri in Karimnagar on May 25 on behalf of the TDP,” Revanth Reddy declared after the Telangana TDP Forum’s meeting.Perhaps aware of the trap before him, Nagam reacted cautiously. He explained that he had only wanted the party to “reiterate” its stand on Telangana and send a letter to this effect to Chidambaram.“In 2008 we adopted a resolution on Telangana. A copy could be sent to Chidambaram,” he said.