NETA NATTER

WHERE’S THE MORAL CODE IN HORSE TRADING?

At a time the Congress’s Operation Akarsh to reel in BRS MLAs and MLCs is in full swing in Telangana, Rajya Sabha member K. Keshava Rao spiced up things by quitting his Rajya Sabha seat. Keshava Rao, who quit the BRS to join the Congress, said that he had resigned his seat on ethical grounds since he changed parties. KK’s move has placed the Congress leadership in a conundrum, with BRS leaders gleefully pouncing on the opportunity to demand that the six BRS MLAs and six BRS MLCs who defected also resign. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao couldn’t resist a chance to taunt AICC leader Rahul Gandhi, questioning, “Is this how you are going to uphold the Constitution?” The Congress camp is buzzing with the realisation that KK’s resignation might have been more of a self-sabotaging spectacle than a strategic masterstroke. Party insiders are now biting their nails, worried that this resignation fiasco might throw a wrench in the gears of Operation Akarsh which was supposed to weaken the BRS but seems to be causing more internal drama for the Congress than they bargained for.

TD-SENA ALLIANCE WOBBLING

Alliance it may be but when it comes to the nitty-gritty, especially getting recognised for delivering government services at the ground level, the story is a little different in Andhra Pradesh. Such is the case between the workers of the Telugu Desam and the Jana Sena. These attention-grabbing moments were witnessed in Palakonda constituency which elected Nimmaka Jayakrishna of the Jana Sena. During distribution of welfare pensions the other day, TD and JS workers threw alliance bonhomie out of the window as they tried to grab the attention as the ones handing over the pensions over to the beneficiaries. JS workers were sort of at the receiving end in the little impromptu tug-of-war, realising that not all are equal in an alliance.

PAWAN KALYAN URGES SUPPORTERS TO BEHAVE

Victory in the AP Assembly elections has clearly given the Jana Sena a much-needed boost and affirmation that it, and its leader Pawan Kalyan, matter in AP politics, and that he revved up the fortunes of the TD-JS-BJP alliance. And now, for those in Kalyan’s Pithapuram constituency, AP’s Deputy Chief Minister had a word of advice. “Do not claim to anyone you are from Deputy CM’s area, or break any laws, and don’t drive on the wrong side,” he told his followers and fans the other day at a public meeting at Uppada near Kakinada. In short, don’t make claims that could bring disrepute to the party and to him as its leader. For those who might be wanting to get on some action on the road, Kalyan even promised a bike race but with all safety gear in place sometime soon.

WHEN IN POWER WEAR WHITE

All work and no play makes…. we all know how the adage goes. But what does all white and no other colour make? When it comes to clothes, it could well be a description of a politician. If TD leaders and their words are anything to by, those who want to be in politics should stick to whites when it comes to the colour of choice for their clothes. It all began the other day with AP home minister Vanglapudi Anitha — who was one of those from the TD who received a lot of “attention” from cops during the YSRC government — calling on police officials to shun politics and work with dedication. “If you’re itching to dive into politics, put down your uniform and don the holy white,” she told them. Meanwhile, at a sports event, Vizag Lok Sabha member M. Sri Bharat and the transport minister M. Ram Prasad Reddy too said anyone who wants to be in politics should wear white. The question now doing the rounds over these comments is whether these ministers have given up yellow, their party colour, when it comes to sartorial choices.

NEW MLAs FLEX THEIR MUSCLE

Government officials in Tirupati and Chandragiri Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh are quickly being pushed to their wits ends with members of families of MLAs throwing their non-existent weight around with expectations of the government machinery to be at their beck and call. A series of incidents involving Pulivarthi Sudha Reddy, wife of Chandragiri Telugu Desam MLA Pulivarthi Nani, and Arani Siva Kumar, nephew of Tirupati Jana Sena MLA Arani Srinivasulu, has brought to the fore how the newfound “power” is driving some in such families to boss around at the slightest opportunity. From village meetings to review meetings with IAS officers, Sudha Reddy and Siva Kumar are everywhere in their respective constituencies, attempting to wield influence if the grapevine is anything to go by.

Contributions from Avinash P. Subramanyam, K.M.P. Patnaik, Aruna, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Sampat G. Samritan