Name party workers, not moneybags, for Rajya sabha, Naidu told
By IANSWednesday, June 2, 2010
HYDERABAD - Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s brother-in-law N. Harikrishna has warned him against ignoring party leaders and nominating the rich industrialists for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Harikrishna, who is also a member of upper house of parliament, Wednesday asked Naidu to field only those who were working hard for the party.
Harikrishna, son of TDP founder and former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao, met Naidu and urged him to ignore industrialists and businessmen lobbying for Rajya Sabha tickets.
His remarks assumed significance in the wake of reports that Naidu was considering the names of Sujana Chowdary of Sujana Group of companies, C.M. Ramesh of Rithvik Projects, and Garikapati Mohan Rao, a contractor.
NTR’s son told Naidu that fielding any of them would harm the party’s image and cause heartburn among those working sincerely for the party.
Naidu is already under pressure from strong contenders like former central ministers K. Yerran Naidu, Ummareddy Venkateswarlu, former state ministers Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and P. Chandrasekhar and party vice president Lal Jan Basha.
Naidu held a meeting with senior party leaders to decide the party’s candidates for June 14 elections. Going by its strength in the assembly, TDP can win two out of six Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
Ruling Congress party can win four seats with the support from its ally Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), which has decided not to field a candidate following a request from Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Five Congress members, Union Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh, J.D. Seelam, V. Hanumantha Rao, Girish Sanghi and Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy and one Communist Party of India-Marxist member Penuballi Madhu are retiring from the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress is yet to announce its candidates for the biennial polls to the upper house.
