Hari Krishna fumes as he finds no place in TDP list

Hyderabad : The squabbles in the Telugu Desam Party's first family came to the fore when NTR's eldest son Nandamuri Harikrishna attacked party president Nara Chandrababu Naidu for denying him a ticket while fielding his brother Nandamuri Balakrishna from Hindupur Assembly constituency.

Addressing media persons in Vijayawada, Harikrishna lashed out at the TDP chief, saying that Naidu had ignored him despite his repeated requests for party ticket to contest the elections.

'Many leaders are saying that I did not seek ticket from the party president. But, there is no truth in it. I initially asked him to give me Penumaluru Assembly ticket when he was on padayatra. Recently, I sought Hindpur ticket during a politburo meeting. I did not get anything,' he said.

Harikrishna also said he was hoping that the party would at least field him from one of the Assembly constituencies in Krishna district. He said some people in the party were spreading false propaganda that he had not asked for party ticket.

The critical comments made by Harikrishna in public have once again confirmed that all is not well among the NTR family members. Reacting on the issue, a senior party leader said Harikrishna's remarks indicated that he was sulking with a fear of being left out by the party leadership after the entry of his younger brother Balakrishna' formal entry into active politics.

'He said that he was ready to contest from any seat in Krishna district. It clearly indicates the fear of being left out is haunting him following the entry of his younger brother into the party. He must be thinking his importance in the party would come down due to his brother image,' the leader said.

Adding fuel to fire, Balakrishna also snubbed his nephew Junior NTR in an attempt to send out a clear indication that the TDP does not need him anymore.

The actor, while reacting to a question whether he would request Junior NTR to campaign for the party in the ongoing election campaign, said that he would not ask anybody to campaign for the party. Nobody needs to be invited to do party work,' he quipped.

It is a known fact Harikrishna is unhappy with Naidu for promoting his son Lokesh as his political heir as he is keen to see his son Junior NTR taking over the reins of the party.

The former Rajya Sabha member also gave vent to his anger in public on many occasions in the past albeit indirectly. Harikrishna was also angry when some TDP leaders close to Naidu made fun of his resignation from Rajya Sabha over Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation.

Both Harikrishna and Junior NTR did not attend the marriage of Balakrishna's youngest daughter. The father-son duo had campaigned for TDP in 2009 elections but the party failed to return to power.

Junior NTR has since distanced himself from the party but had stated that if invited he would campaign for the party. Meanwhile, Balakrishna, entered the electoral politics by filing his nomination papers from Hindupur Assembly seat in Anantapur district on Wednesday.

After filing his nomination, he told reporters that while he had not come into politics for any position, he would not say no if he gets a chance to become the Chief Minister.