Telangana-based Andhra Pradesh businessmen play safe

Hyderabad: The buzz in political circles is that several industrialists and businessmen with their base in Telangana state but associated with the Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh are being persuaded to join YSR Congress.

Andhra Pradseh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the BJP are trying to coerce them into supporting the YSRC. Many industrialists and businessmen associated with the TD are either quitting the party or joining the YSRC.

It is a well-known fact that the actor-turned-politician has a huge real estate business in and around Hyderabad and also has landed properties worth several crores of rupees. Mr Mohan declared that he has taken the decision for personal and family reasons.

There are reports that former Congress MP from Ongole, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, who is now with the Telugu Desam, is also looking at the YSRC.
Potluri Varaprasad, a Hyderabad-based businessman, and a native of Krishna district has also joined the YSRC.

With several important leaders who had played a key role in the TD winning in 2014 quitting, Mr Chandrababu Naidu has accused the TRS and the BJP of threatening businessmen and industrialists who have businesses in Telangana to leave the TD and join Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and ensure the YSRC wins in AP, as part of the tacit understanding to defeat the TD in AP.

Mr Naidu went further and charged the TRS and the BJP with threatening businessmen and industrialists that they would face CBI and Income-Tax raids if they continued with the TD.

He also alleged that the TRS’ top leadership has been cautioning industrialists and businessmen that power supply to their business houses located in and around Hyderabad would be stopped if they continued with the TD.

TRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has accused Mr Naidu of playing “cheap politics” and trying to create animosity between the people of the two states for his personal gains.

He said that the TD’s defeat is imminent and so many big leaders are leaving the party for better prospects. Frustrated by this Mr Naidu is blaming the TRS and its supremo, in order to mislead the people of Andhra Pradesh.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had refuted Mr Naidu’s allegation that his party was threatening TD leaders with I-T and CBI raids, and said at his recent public meeting in Guntur: “Babu garu, the ground is slipping from underneath your feet, be careful. He (Naidu) already knows he is going to lose the election. He is unable to sleep peacefully. Naidu is afraid of facing the truth.”

Recently, Dasari Jai Ramesh, a founder-member of the TD and founder of Vijay Electricals in Hyderabad, has joined hands with YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Avanti Srinivas, Telugu Desam member of Parliament from Anakapalle and owner of several educational institutions in AP and TS has also quit the TD and joined the YSRC. The decision of sitting MP M. Murali Mohan not to contest the polls and not let any of his family do so either has come as a big jolt to the TD.