By IANS,
Hyderabad : Even as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu remains in a dilemma on the separate Telangana issue, his party legislators for coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema Friday launched a ‘bus yatra’ for a ‘united Andhra’.
TDP legislators, who have already submitted their resignations to the assembly speaker to protest the proposed separate statehood, launched the journey at the temple town of Tirupati in Chittoor district of Rayalaseema region.
Led by senior leader Y. Ramakrishnudu, the TDP leaders began their 11-day journey from Tirupati to Srikakulam. The ‘bus yatra’ will cover 13 districts – four in Rayalaseema and nine in coastal Andhra.
“We will never accept division of Andhra Pradesh and to strengthen the movement for united Andhra we are launching this programme,” Ramakrishnudu, a former minister, told reporters.
Over a dozen members of assembly and council from the two regions and some other senior leaders are travelling in the bus.
As many as 45 TDP legislators have already submitted their resignations to protest the decision to initiate the process for separate statehood to Telangana region.
About a dozen legislators are on hunger strike in different districts.
TDP chief Naidu, who had earlier promised to support the resolution for Telangana in the assembly, is facing a dilemma as the leaders from the backward region have threatened to quit the party and launch a regional outfit if he backed ‘united Andhra’ movement.
TDP leader and legislator from Telangana E. Dayakar Rao Friday told reporters in Warangal that Naidu should take disciplinary action against the leaders who are taking part in the ‘bus yatra’.
Dayakar Rao also announced that the TDP leaders from Telangana would launch a movement from Saturday to achieve their goal of a separate state.