Within hours of the reports doing rounds in the media circles that Telugu Desam Party president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is contemplating taking disciplinary action against him, senior legislator and former minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao took a sudden U-turn.
Ganta told reporters in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday that there was no question of leaving the TDP and all the reports of his plans to change the party were just rumours without any base.
“I have absolutely no plans to quit the TDP. It is true that I have welcomed the decision of the YSR Congress party government to make Visakhapatnam as the administrative capital of the state. I have to do it as a resident of Visakhapatnam,” Ganta said.
He, however, said he would stand by the party president’s direction to support the farmers of Amaravati who would be suffering huge losses on account of shifting of the capital.
“I am demanding that the present government should not mete out injustice to farmers of Amaravati who had given away their lands for the capital,” he said.
Ganta also demanded that the government should allay fears of the possible breakdown of law and order in Visakhapatnam if it was made the state capital.
Apparently, the Visakhapatnam (North) MLA has realised that there would be no entry into the YSR Congress party despite his open support to the three capitals plan of Jagan Mohan Reddy. There is a strong resistance from other YSRC leaders in Visakhapatnam for his entry.
At the same time, Ganta is not sure of his future, if he joins the Bharatiya Janata Party, though he has got offers from that party. So, he might have thought it is better to play safe by staying back in the TDP, at least for now.
Naidu, however, is not happy with Ganta who has openly defied the party line and endorsed the decision of Jagan to shift executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.
Unless Ganta meets the boss and clears the air, doubts continue to remain on his future course of action.
