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Warangal: The TRS activists, who have been with the party since its inception, said ‘enough is enough’ while demanding the leadership to reveal whether the party requires their services or not. 

Accusing the leadership of ignoring them even after four-and-a-half-year’s TRS rule in Telangana, they gave a sort of ultimatum stating that time has come for them to know their role in the party.

“It’s high time for the party leadership to make it loud and clear,” senior TRS and trade union leader Gudimalla Ravi Kumar, who aspired for Warangal East ticket, said.

Addressing a press conference along with a host of Telangana activists here on Thursday, he expressed disappointment over the leadership’s move to field Mayor Nannapaneni Narender from Warangal East constituency. It may be noted here that the TRS leadership that held back the decision for over two months has finally announced Narender as its candidate for East constituency on Wednesday night.

“Personally, I am not against the TRS candidate or anyone else, but the way the leadership had ignored the loyal and committed workers hurts me a lot. As if there is no other candidate, how the party had decided to field Narender under whom the city development came to a standstill,” Gudimalla pointed out. At a time developmental activity in Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) would have been at brisk pace, there is very little for him to show up, he said, referring to the flow of funds from the government.

Despite the State government giving Rs 300 crore per annum special developmental funds for the last three years, there is no change in the lives of slum-dwellers in the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) area, he said.

The leadership is giving importance to only one particular community, he said, questioning why not the others? In 2014 elections, the TRS leadership gave Warangal  East ticket to a parachute candidate and now again the leaders, who actively participated in Telangana Movement, were ignored, he added.

“The TRS leadership needs to make it clear whether it requires the services of leaders like me, who have been with the party since its inception or not? Those, who joined the party midway, have got plum posts and leaders like me have to sit out,” Gudimalla said. What kind of message the party wants to send to the cadres, who believed in the leadership of K Chandrashekar Rao, he said. Ravi Kumar demanded the leadership to define the role of TRS workers like him before November 18 so that they can think over their future course of action.

The leadership had ignored my candidature for the Warangal Lok Sabha by-poll (2015) due to my caste row, but there is no such problem for Warangal East constituency, which is a general seat, he lamented. There is a text message being circulated on WhatsApp groups that Narender is claiming himself as backward class community (Munnuru Kapu) even though he belongs to Kamma family hailing from Guntur region, he pointed out.

Some vested interests have been trying to dent my chances by misleading the leadership that I may change party, Gudimalla said. Advocate Neela Sridhar Rao and several other TRS leaders were present.