NETA’S NATTER | I-T RAID? CALL MALLA REDDY

Income-tax raids usually are treated with some fear, and a lot of trepidation and the so-called ‘victims’ usually cut a sorry figure. But, the I-T raids this week turned Telangana state’s labour minister Chamakura Malla Reddy into something of a celebrity in the TRS. Lo and behold, the man who ran around frantically a couple of days while dealing with the raids and their aftermath, is suddenly sought after by his party colleagues. Some of them who are quivering like a leaf about to fall from a tree are running to him, figuratively that is, seeking tips to deal with those pesky I-T folk. For TRS leaders, several of them reportedly spending sleepless nights fearing raids by the I-T, CBI, ED etc., Malla Reddy has become a role model of sorts. A man who knows a thing or two about surviving the I-T raids, laughing off talk of worrying, saying “I am Malla Reddy. I am experienced in dealing with I-T raids. This is the third raid on me. I know everything that happens in such raids.” This was enough for TRS leaders, living in fear of raids of some kind, starting to consult Malla Reddy. ‘I-T raid problem? There is a Malla Reddy for that!’ appears to be the belief in the ruling party in Telangana for now.

WILL NAIDU SHY AWAY FROM JAGAN ON DEC 5?

Not seeing eye to eye is not an uncommon practice in politics. Avoiding your rival, even if it means rescheduling your appearance at an event, is a strategy that is often resorted to. Such has been the case with TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, who has gone out of his way to avoid Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Naidu’s nimble waltzing around, ensuring no contact of any kind with the CM, is normal when it comes to events and is now well-established. But, every time an opportunity presents itself where the duo can be seen together, it becomes an event to watch for. So, the question now is will Naidu do his light-footed ‘I-will-avoid-you’ routine on December 5, when the duo is invited to be present at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in New Delhi to discuss strategies for India as the new chair of G-20, and the summit in the country next year. Guess one will have to wait for December 5 to find out if these two leaders from AP will see eye to eye, at least at a public event, if not in real life or in their politics.

SELFIES WITH KCR TURN ECO-FRIENDLY

What can one do to get noticed by Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao? It is to present a bouquet of flowers to the CM and get a photograph with him, as a keepsake, or, for budding politicians, something to show people and boast about. When it comes to the subject of bouquets, however, it was heartening to see the spirit of recycling — all thanks to two flower bouquets which were being reused, handed over from one person to the other as they rushed to stand next to KCR and get photographed with the same flowers. If anyone was keeping count, one particular bouquet could have made it to the record books as the most presented one in a single day.