NETA NATTER | Jagga code: Handshake okay, a hug means B-Team'

In the free-for-all political world, parties use any tactic to bring their opponents down and it is no different in Telangana where the three major political parties — the BRS, Congress and BJP — accuse each other of being the ‘B-Team’ of the other. Allegations and charges of secret tie-ups, and alliances between the A and B Teams are dime a dozen nowadays. Like any good politician, seasoned leader and MLA from the Congress, T. Jagga Reddy the other day took full advantage of what happened in the Assembly recently. On the first day of the session, BRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao made his way to BJP MLA Etala Rajender's seat in the House and gave him a nice big hug. Another senior BRS leader, Deputy Speaker Padma Rao Goud, also went up to Etala and embraced him. This was enough for Congress MLAs to claim that the BJP was the B Team for BRS. But, soon after, Jagga Reddy was seen shaking hands with Rama Rao and in response to a question posed to him later — if this did not indicate that Congress is the B Team for the BRS — Jagga Reddy said hugs are stronger indicators of relationships than a handshake. As far as Jagga Reddy was concerned, that was all the proof needed to show that the BJP is the BRS’ B Team.

MALLA REDDY EVER READY TO SPILL THE BEANS

The irrepressible Ch Malla Reddy, the Telangana minister who never hesitates to speak his mind and is quite earthy while he goes about it, was at it again. Taking a cue from his party’s working president K.T. Rama Rao’s comment about how being a political party, some decisions are taken with voters in mind, Malla Reddy sort of spilt the beans about the decision to merge the TSRTC with the state government. Of course, the elections are coming and decisions are taken in view of that and so is the RTC merger decision, Malla Reddy said the other day confirming the general view that this was just one more poll sop from the BRS government.

BANDI PROMISES BRS-AIMIM EXPOSÉ

Going national! The BJP in Telangana has never lost an opportunity to say how the BRS bends backwards to please the AIMIM and this is also one of the party’s newly-minted general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s oft-repeated charges as proof of the ruling party and AIMIM being in cahoots. And now, Sanjay has decided to take this national and talk about it in Parliament when his turn comes to speak on the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. “We will expose their nexus to the entire nation,” Sanjay said the other day. How the BRS and AIMIM will react to Sanjay, only time will tell.

AMBATI DRAWS ATTENTION TO PAWAN’S FINANCES

Filmy fights are all the rage in Andhra Pradesh these days, or so it appears. With popular actor Pawan Kalyan throwing his hat into the political ring, apparently with gusto, to make ruling YSRC leaders wake up and take notice, a new battle is brewing between the man who plays a hero in films and minister Ambati Rambabu, who complained to the CBI and asked for a probe into an alleged hawala trail of money that funded Pawan’s latest movie Bro. With both leaders spitting fire at each other, Rambabu said he will make a film to expose Pawan Kalyan, while Pawan’s followers went one step ahead and held a muhurtam shot for a film targeting the minister with the title ‘SSS’, that stands for ‘Sandulo Shyam Babu’.

VALAVEN HAS HIS PRAYERS ANSWERED

Patience pays. Senior IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh Karikal Valaven had long cherished a role in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and recently, he got his wish in the form of his new post of special chief secretary (endowments), which ultimately led him to the prestigious position of TTD trust board’s ex-officio member, giving Valaven an opportunity to participate in the temple's governance. Alongside his new role, the 1989 batch IAS officer will continue to hold additional charge of Special CS, industries and commerce, infrastructure, and investments.

BAJIREDDY GETS HERO’S WELCOME AT NIZAMABAD

Bajireddy Goverdhan Reddy, BRS MLA from Nizamabad district, who also happens to be the TSRTC chairman, received a grand welcome when he went to his constituency after the State Cabinet announced the corporation’s merger with the state government. It was almost as if Bajireddy was being feted as the architect of the merger, though everyone in the BRS knew that the decision was that of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. Some of the MLA’s detractors have been caught saying they were surprised at the ‘well organised event’ in Nizamabad for the ‘success of merging RTC with the government’, especially since Bajireddy did little to nothing to improve the RTC or its employees’ lot since taking over as the corporation’s chairman.