Having a certain amount of enthusiasm in politics is a must. But sometimes such an emotion gets the better of leaders, like BRS MLA from Uppal Bethi Subhash Reddy hose overenthusiasm ended up causing him much embarrassment. When municipal administration and urban development minister K.T. Rama Rao went to Uppal last week to inaugurate a skywalk for pedestrians, dotting the busy traffic junction were banners welcoming ‘BRS working president, IT, industries and municipal Minister — Sri Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR)”. It is no secret that BRS working president and minister K.T. Rama Rao is seen as the heir apparent to the Telangana state throne but such a confusion between KCR and KTR is just pure negligence. Irrespective of how this boo boo occurred, questions were raised among the powers that be. Jumping on this with apparent glee, some of Subhash Reddy’s rivals in the constituency, including former mayor Bonthu Rammohan and Bandari Lakshma Reddy, enthusiastically made sure images of the banners were circulated on social media further embarrassing Subhash Reddy.
ETALA IRONICALLY RESCUES ARCH RIVAL
Strange as it may sound, the buzz in political circles is that BJP MLA Etala Rajendar rescued his arch rival in Huzurabad constituency, BRS MLC Padi Kaushik Reddy from the controversy he was embroiled in for abusing the Mudiraj community after a purported audio clip of Kaushik was leaked in which he was heard abusing Mudirajs, leaving many wondering what Rajendar’s gameplan is. Why did Rajendar save Kaushik to get away scot-free from this controversy is the question currently doing the rounds, especially since the BJP leader hails from the community. The Mudiraj community rose up in arms demanding Kaushik be sacked as MLC and from the BRS party, and his attempts to distance himself from the audio clip went in vain as did his request to DGP Anjani Kumar for a forensic audit of the clip. The fire was enough to see BRS MLA Jogu Ramanna condemning Kaushik’s remarks against the Mudiraj community and threatening that he would complain to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on the issue. Then entered Rajendar’s wife, Etala Jamuna who told reporters that Kaushik had given a Rs 20 crore “supari” to kill Rajendar. This was followed by Rajendar who addressed another press conference the same day on the threat to his life. The Etala couple’s comments did just enough to divert the public attention from the Mudiraj community issue to the “supari” issue.
TSPSC POSES CHEEKY QUESTION IN EXAM
The TSPSC, which has been in the throes of some serious wrongdoings after the expose of the question paper leak scandal, appears to have decided to stay in the news, yet again, for reasons that could at best be described as a series of continued goof ups. Recently, in one of its exams, a question was posed about unemployment allowance and with four options to pick from as the correct answer. The question was about allowance paid to the unemployed youth in Telangana state, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to when the scheme was implemented in the state, as it has so far remained only a promise. Some questions, apparently, are hard to answer.
CONGRESS FEEDS JOURNOS GOOD FOOD WITH A SIDE OF PROPAGANDA
With elections around the corner, all political parties in Telangana state are beefing up their propaganda machinery. The Congress on its part now has 31 spokespersons and two media coordinators as part of its efforts to improve its media relations and acquaintances with journalists reporting on the party. With this being the case, the newly appointed spokespersons have taken to inviting media personnel for lunches for informal interactions, where tidbits of info are shared from both sides. Sumptuous lunches may be one thing, but directing a particular narrative in the media is another thing, a wag at Gandhi Bhavan, the party headquarters said. Something all the new spokespersons will have to learn soon enough.
‘GIVE US GUNS,’ SAYS TELUGU DESAM
Can carrying guns prevent kidnappings? Yes, that appears to be the answer from several Telugu Desam leaders in Visakhapatnam district in the aftermath of Visakhapatnam MP M.V.V. Satyanarayana’s family’s recent abduction for ransom by local gangsters. Making it clear that gun licences could be the answer to face such threats, former TD minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy appealed to the government to provide these licences to TD leaders as they are the principal opposition party in the state and were vulnerable targets. But then, these requests are not easily accepted by the government and Murthy’s demand is being seen more as political grandstanding by some in his own party.
ALI VS MUSTAPHA IN GUNTUR
Remember Ali, the popular actor who is in the YSRC? Despite Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s alleged promise of a prominent position before Mohammad Ali joined the party, Ali is yet to receive a “plum” post, leaving him on the edge of his seat. Ali, known to be a confidant of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, joined the YSRC before the 2019 elections amidst high expectations, and ended up being appointed as an adviser to the AP Government for electronic media. Now Ali is said to be considering contesting on a YSRC ticket in the next elections and if rumours are anything to go by, he might replace Mohammad Mustapha as the YSRC nominee from Guntur East, creating some unrest as Mustapha sees Ali as a threat to his own political career.
PROSPECT OF FLOODS WAKES UP GHMC
The much-awaited southwest monsoon may be here, with Hyderabad experiencing some intermittent showers but as far as the GHMC is concerned, it looks like the civic body is yet to wake up to face the potential threat that rains bring to the city. After having spent all summer, in the run up to the rainy season doing little, the GHMC and the mayor have been holding monsoon preparedness meetings, even as the much-vaunted SRDP nalas works move ahead at a snail’s pace. The questions being asked are if the city has a history of suffering on account of rains, should a proper action plan be already not in place, and whether the GHMC has learnt anything from the past rains that left the city stranded more than once.
SPEAKER-MINISTER SPAR OVER REBEL DOC
Who reigns supreme? Is it the Speaker or a minister? If one goes by what happened the other day at the Rims Medical College and Hospital in Srikakulam, a minister could call trumps when something is being done outside the Legislature. Recently, following a complaint received about “non-cooperation” by a medical officer at the hospital, Andhra Pradesh Speaker Tammineni Sitaram reportedly summoned the hospital’s Resident Medical Officer and instructed that the doctor in question be given marching orders and when this was not complied with, instructions were issued to the district collector to ensure this is done. Though a different doctor was posted in the place of the one who got kicked out, things changed within the hour apparently at the behest of minister Dharmana Prasad Rao and the doctor sent packing was asked to report back to the post that the medic was sacked from. Though Rao denied his involvement, this incident has brought to the fore the differences between two senior YSRC leaders in the district.
