The fire raging in the Telugu Desam Party in Vijayawada has subsided on Saturday evening with the direct intervention of party president and former chief minster N Chandrababu Naidu.
With senior TDP leaders including politburo member and former MLA Bonda Uma and party official spokesman Nagul Meera, along with their followers raising a banner of revolt against Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani for his highhanded behaviour, the party was virtually heading for a split.
Though Naidu entrusted the task of settling the dispute between the two groups to TDP state president K Atchan Naidu, the issue did not subside. And on Saturday, it reached a climax with the anti-Kesineni group virtually threatened to quit the party.
Bonda Uma and Nagul Meera gave an ultimatum to Naidu to decide between them and Kesineni, as they are not able to tolerate the latter’s domination in the party in Vijayawada.
As the situation began going out of control, Naidu, who was in Visakhapatnam trip, held a teleconference with Kesineni and the rival leaders and made an appeal to sink their differences to work for the party’s victory in the Vijayawada municipal corporation elections.
He reportedly assured that he would take care of the interests of all the leaders. He requested the anti-Kesineni group to work for the victory of the MP’s daughter Kesineni Swetha in the elections.
Bonda Uma and Nagul Meera appeared to have calmed down a bit after Naidu’s talk and agreed to cooperate with Kesineni.
Later, Swetha went to the residence of Bonda Uma and pleaded with him to support her candidature. She is also planning to go to Nagul Meera’s house later.
As the things stand now, the situation in the TDP appears to have quietened. But one doubts whether it is like calm before storm!
