In the ongoing battle of wits over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the latest assessment is that the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has emerged as a "hero" in Seemandhra for effectively defying his own party leadership while the Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu has become a "zero" for failing to make his stand clear on the burning issue.
"By opposing the CWC decision on formation of Telangana state and by declaring intention to resign in the interests of the united AP cause, Kiran has become a hero in the eyes of the people. In contrast, Chandrababu Naidu is a big zero because nobody knows what he stands for," the senior Congress leader from Vijayawada, Devineni Nehru, said.
He advised the TDP leaders from Seemandhra to put pressure on their boss to come out clearly whether he wants the state to remain united or separated.
"Naidu is only interested in mud-slinging at the Congress and spreading lies. He is an expert in taking U-turns and doublespeak," the Congress leader said.
He wondered the TDP leaders were capable of extracting a clear-cut policy statement from their leader on Telangana issue.
"The TDP chief briefly undertook Telugu Atma Gourava yatra in Seemandhra. There are Telugus in Telangana as well. For whom did he take out the yatra?," he asked.
Nehru, an influential leader in Krishna district, advised the MLAs from Seemandhra region not to resign their seats at this stage because they have to defeat the Telangana resolution whenever it comes up before the Assembly.
