TDP leader Venugopal Reddy has said that Guntur district would turn into a desert if a separate Telangana state is formed.
His statement opposes the TDP's official stand on Telangana statehood - party president Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Centre recently on how his party supports the formation of a Telangana state.
He added that rumours of him joining the Congress were untrue, and said that he has always been "against" the Congress. He said that he has no differences with Chandrababu Naidu other than the Telangana issue.
In reponse to Venugopal Reddy's statements, TRS leader Harish Rao has demanded his suspension from the TDP.
"With Venugopal Reddy's statement on a united AP, it is once again clear that the TDP is against Telangana," he said.
He said that if Chandrababu Naidu indeed supports Telangana statehood, Reddy must be removed from his party immediately.
filed in:T Harish Rao, TRS, Seemandhra, United AP Movement