NETA NATTER | SEASON FOR PADAYATRAS HAS BEGUN
’Tis the season for celebrations! Christmas, New Year, followed by Sankranti. Festivities apart, this is also the season for some fancy political footwork or rather padayatras for some leaders. On the cards is one by Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy, the possible restart of TS BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s Praja Sangrama Yatra, and the promised reanimation of YSRTP leader Y.S. Sharmila’s march across Telangana, not to mention some similar plans by lesser-known politicos. Come January, after Sankranti, it will be the turn of these leaders to indulge in some kite-flying, accompanied by a good dose of opponent-flaying, and flinging promises at the people. In the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, meanwhile, TD’s heir apparent Nara Lokesh is having some starting troubles with his state-wide padayatra with concerns that the government there might place a few hurdles along the way. The TD is gearing up for skirmishes, mostly legal, apparently to ensure that the walkathon goes ahead. Plans for all these long marches apart, who will benefit from them only time will tell.
KCR DANCES DIFFERENTLY TO NATIONAL MEDIA’S TUNES
Control of information is key to narrative control. There are times when the need to be seen as a leader and get one’s word out trumps the need for setting the agenda. On this front, political circles are amused at how BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao differs when meeting with leaders and CMs from non-BJP-ruled states in Hyderabad and elsewhere. Each time KCR visits another state, he makes it a point to address the media there and get his word out. When it comes to leaders visiting him at Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad, what emerges at the end are pictures of the VIP being greeted with bouquets, being presented with mementoes and shawls and a brief one- or two-line message that issues of bilateral and national importance came up during the discussions, as was in the case when the CMs from Jharkhand and Punjab visited him in Hyderabad. Some political wags believe that on the one hand, KCR doesn’t want ‘local’ media to ask his guests tough questions, and, that on the other, is yet to get over the Nitish Kumar episode in Bihar and doesn’t want a repeat of it on his home turf. Remember KCR’s meeting with Nitish this August in Patna, where a joint press conference went on almost for an hour, prompting the Bihar CM to rise and leave, causing KCR to hold his hand and say “Aap baitiye na (please sit),” while Nitish was seen replying “Aap chaliye na (let's go),” the video of which went viral. Apparently, with other leaders willing to be seen as leaving a press meet, there is some reluctance, understandably so, to hold such events for the media in Hyderabad, our sources say.
NEW COVID VARIANT NO JOKE
The return of the Coronavirus has placed people on tenterhooks. With the latest advisories doing the rounds and the situation in China getting a lot of media attention in the days preceding, all it took was a wrong alert about the first case of the new Covid variant in Ainavilli mandal of Andhra Pradesh to send everyone scurrying and officials to their battle stations in Konaseema district. It all began when reports said that a woman traveller from Kuwait who had reached her Nedunuri Savaram village was confirmed as a new variant Covid-positive patient. The news that began making the rounds on social media found its way onto TV screens and sent officials rushing a team of doctors to the village only to find the lady in question was hale and hearty, if somewhat perturbed, at the news about her. Officials soon found out that the initial message posted on social media was a prank, declared such dangerous pranks have no place and warned all such rumourmongering will be put down firmly.
THE PARTY’S STARTED FOR A FEW AT CONGRESS
It’s party time for some. Not just the time for switching political parties and shifting loyalties — as has become the practice of late among leaders and cadres — but actual ‘let’s let loose,’ party time. And those making it happen are some leaders from Congress who have found a place, rather unexpectedly, in the Telangana unit office-bearer's list in Adilabad district. So with hopes that this would mean even better tidings, and maybe party tickets in the next elections, such leaders, amidst felicitations by their neighbours and supporters, have started celebrating. At the same time, some who were ignored in the listing of office-bearers are unhappy, and understandably not celebrating but accusing the party leadership of favouritism. The lucky few aren’t complaining and letting the unlucky group affect their ‘party spirit’ however.