Naidu Plays Down Balaiah, Hari

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu seems to be more than confident of returning to power, rather than being practical in assessing the situation, after returning from his tiring and record-breaking padayatra.

While claiming that he was a changed man altogether, the TDP president, however, sought to downplay the differences within the Nandamuri family over his leadership. In an open-debate programme with Andhra Jyothy on Tuesday night, Naidu said he was not very serious about the talk of disgruntlement within the NTR family. Asked why his brother-in-law and politburo member Nandamuri Harikrishna did not attend the Visakhapatnam public meeting, Naidu said he was not aware of the reasons.

“I don’t have any disputes with Harikrishna or anybody in the family. Only he should explain why he did not come to the meeting. However, I want the entire family to remain united and I will give due respect to each of them. But, I strongly feel that the party is different from family. And I give more importance to the party than the family members and I don’t want any of them create troubles for the party,” he said.

Interestingly, Naidu also tried to play down the role of Balakrishna in the party. Asked what position Balakrishna would get in the party, he said it all depended on what role he would play in the party.

“Everybody, irrespective of their stature, should work for the party in a sincere manner. And if they do, they will get due respect in the party. Whether it is Balakrishna or Lokesh, I will not hesitate to tell them the same frankly,” he said.