TDP legislators could resign en masse over capital shift

Hyderabad: The MLAs of the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh could go for mass resignation to protest the proposed shifting of the capital from Velagapudi to Visakhapatnam. The party apparently has taken this stand in its attempt to embarrass the ruling YSRCP.

Sources said TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu held an emergency meeting at his residence yesterday where he sought the opinion of senior party leaders about the "mass resignation" strategy. "The chief asked our opinion over the strategy and we have accepted it," said a TDP legislator.

All the MLAs of TDP will resign on the day when the government tables the resolution for shifting of the capital in the assembly, said the TDP leader. In the 175-seat House, TDP has 23 members.

At the emergency meeting, party leaders also supported Naidu's decision to sit for a "deeksha" in New Delhi to garner support at the national level for the capital in Amaravati. "With the capital agenda, we will exert YSRCP to go for elections again," a senior TDP leader said, adding that their move will land YSRCP in "a moral confusion".

Earlier, an emotional Galla Jayadev, the Guntur MP, had mooted the proposal of tendering resignations en masse, though he had been told then that the party could not take such a decision, just relying upon the sentiments and emotions of the people.

However, few more TDP seniors have recalled how the YSRCP had won bye-elections after the demise of Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy on emotional lines. A similar kind of atmosphere is now prevailing in AP, and even Rayalaseema people are against the plan to make Visakhapatnam the capital, said a TDP leader. He said the 'en masse resignation' strategy will help the TDP get mileage in the public. "In case a few TDP MLAs do not want to resign, this will be their last term as MLA."

Since the TDP chief is not sure as to how many MLAs would be with the party, he wants to adopt this new strategy to garner public support through the Amaravati agenda, said sources. Apart from that, they said, Naidu wants to consolidate anti-NDA forces at the national level to showcase his strength on this particular issue.