Hyderabad: Stating he would take the final decision on striking alliances or seat adjustments with like-minded parties, TD president and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu asked TS party workers and leaders to concentrate on strengthening the party to gain public support.

“You should know these are political decisions and I am a senior politician, I know how to play the cards at the right time. The right decision, you leave it to me, I am will be here to guide you and give directions on how the party should function,” Mr Naidu said.

Mr Naidu refused to mention the defection of Mr A. Revanth Reddy to the Congress, though several speakers dubbed their former colleague a traitor, and said: “It is nothing new for the party that faced several crises right from its inception. There is no need for the party workers to get perturbed.”

Mr Naidu was addressing a well-attended general body meeting of the TS TD unit.

He just smiled when a few party workers demanded that Ms Nara Brahmani (Mr Naidu’s daughter-in-law) should be roped into the party and appointed to the national committee. Scores of party workers stood in a queue for more than an hour to greet Mr Naidu with bouquets, and Mr Naidu allowed them to take selfies with him.

Stating that the TD was not a dying party as was made out by critics, Mr Naidu said, “As long as there are Telugus, the TD will be there.”

He said he had sought equal justice to AP and TS and the time of bifurcation to protect the TD’s interests. “How can one visualise Telangana state without the TD that developed the state more particularly Cyberabad and Ranga Reddy districts, he said. Referring to the problems he was facing in AP due to the illogical bifurcation, Mr Naidu said he had to devote more time to resolve in AP.