No differences with Chandrababu Naidu: Goud

Hyderabad, July 15 (UNI) Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Home Minister T Devender Goud, who met party chief N Chandrababu Naidu today, ruled out 'differences' with him.

Talking to newspersons here, he dismissed rumours of differences with the party supremo.

However, the two hour-long meeting was seen by observers as an effort by senior leaders to iron out the differences between the two.

Replying to a query, Mr Goud said they had only reviewed the results of the just-concluded Zilla Praja Parishad elections in which the party's peformance was dismal. Of the 22 Zilla Parishads for which elections were held, the TDP got only two. Congress swept the polls winning 19 ZPs while its ally the Telangana Rashtra Samiti got only one seat.

Mr Goud was believed to have told his party colleagues that Mr Naidu's style of functioning was responsible for the party's debacle in the Municipal and Cooperative elections which took place after the 2004 Assembly elections in which the TDP lost power. He is also reported to have told other party leaders that despite the party losing power, Naidu was depending on the same coterie that was around him when he was in power.

Mr Goud, however, described the 'differences' as the creation of the media.

He said he and Mr Naidu had extensively toured the state for the success of the party. ''I took rest for four days as I was tired and there was no other reason for his not meeting the party chief,'' he clarified.

Mr Goud said after his rest he came to NTR Trust Bhavan, party headquarters and had a meeting with his leader along with TDP Parliamentary Party leader K Yerran Naidu.

Stating that the media had assumed that he had differences with Mr Naidu as he did not visit the party headquarters for four days, Mr Goud said he never differed with the party leadership.

He said as a loyal worker he had worked for the past 20 years and was involved in all decision making.

UNI JRK JJ RA VC2059