Balakrishna is new TDP chief

Vijayawada: TDP MLA and actor Nandamuri Balakrishna has taken charge of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) as its national president, following the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s order to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Vijayawada not to take up the custody petition filed by the CID till September 18.

Balakrishna is camping at Vijayawada and coordinating the party affairs with party senior leaders and others. As the court directed the CID not to take Naidu’s custody till next Monday, the TDP leader is likely to spend more time at Rajemahendravaram Central Prison. Next hearing is slated for September 19.

In the absence of Naidu, Balakrishna, son of late NTR, is expected to pep up the sagging morale of the party leaders and cadres. The party is also apprehending more cases to be booked against Naidu and other leaders in the AP Fiber Net, Amaravati Inner Ring Road and other corruption cases.

Even as senior leaders from the Opposition front including Mamata Banerjee, Farooq Abdulla, Akhilesh Yadav and BV Raghavulu have criticised the arrest of Naidu, CPI and Jana Sena are taking part in the protests seeking his release, the BJP top leadership has maintained stoic silence on the development. This has led to severe contentment among the TDP leaders leading to a statement by TDP politburo member and former Minister Ch Ayyanna Patrudu alleged that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had ordered the arrest of Naidu with a tacit understanding of BJP top leadership.

However, BJP AP State president D Purandeswari, Telangana president and Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, BJP national general secretary Bandi Sanjay and Rajya Sabha member K Laxman criticised the arrest. The BJP did not take part in the bandh called by TDP to protest the arrest though Jana Sena and CPI extended support to the call.