Film star-turned politician Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party is in for another big shock as another senior party leader T Devender Goud has made up his mind to quit the party and go back to the Telugu Desam, which he had quit about a year ago.
That Goud, a strong backward class leader from Telangana region, was all set for "home coming" became clear on Sunday when he spoke to TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu over phone. It was the second round of talk between the two after Goud had personally met Naidu a few days ago. Goud was hell bent upon leaving the PRP even after Chiranjeevi personally tried to dissuade him and urged him to stay back to help him strengthen his party from the grass root level.
Goud spent almost one hour with Chiranjeevi at latter's residence on Saturday amid the reports of his decision to resign from PRP. According to the informed sources Goud expressed his unhappiness over the pro-Congress line adopted by PRP and Chiranjeevi and cited it as the biggest resign for his decision to leave the party. "Only Telugu Desam can be a strong and effective alternative to the Congress party", he said. Chiranjeevi asked Goud the reasons for his anger against Congress party, sources said. In reply Goud described the Congress as a party with feudalistic and dictatorial mind set which was out to undermine and wipe out the opposition from the state.
According to the sources close to Devender Goud, he will make a formal announcement of his resignation from PRP and joining TDP after a meeting with his supporters on Monday. Meanwhile Naidu has given his green signal for the return of Goud to the party fold. Another senior leader and former minister E Peddi Reddy will also quit PRP with Goud and joined the TDP. It may be recalled here that Goud had resigned from the TDP calling him a dictator and vowing to fight for separate Telangana state. Later he launched his own party Nava Telangana Party. But having failed to make a mark and develop the party in to a strong force, Goud merged it in to PRP just before the elections but was defeated both in the Lok Sabh and the assembly elections.
But Naidu has decided to ignore such utterances and welcome Goud with open arms as he wants TDP to emerge as the only alternative to Congress by attracting all non Congress votes and forces. "he has decided to expose PRP and Lok Satta as the acolytes of Congress party and bring all the non Congress forces together before the local bodies elections", a senior TDP leader said. Goud's imminent departure was the second major blow to Chiranjeevi as another important figure, film star and former union minister of state UV Krishnam Raju also resigned from the PRP.