Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That currently is believed to be the plight of ministers, MLAs, MPs etc., in the TRS, especially with regard to the controversies surrounding the first family, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, his son and minister K.T. Rama Rao and daughter and MLC K. Kavitha. When serious allegations were levelled against Kavitha by BJP leaders who linked her name to a liquor scam in Delhi, everyone in the party stayed silent until Kavitha, the next day, mounted her own defence. If the grapevine is anything to go by, TRS leaders were not sure if they should jump to her defence or not, having been conditioned not to utter a single word until directed to do so by the party leadership. But this silence in the first 24 hours apparently cost quite a few of them dearly and they received an earful for leaving Kavitha to fend for herself. It was only after two days, following a protest by BJP workers outside her residence, that ministers, TRS MLAs, MLCs and others trooped to her residence in Banjara Hills taking with them hundreds of party workers to express solidarity with her and attack the BJP. This went on until someone in the party decided that there was enough of this show of support. Previously too, when Rama Rao’s son was body-shamed by some Opposition leaders, it was left for his father, who of course, gave those talking about his son a piece of his mind. This was then followed by ministers and party leaders who too ‘rose to the occasion’. The question plaguing party leaders,
according to TRS insiders, is that they have no clarity when to get in front of the media and when not to. And so, the TRS show goes on in sputters.
PAWAN KALYAN CHALLENGED TO WALK THE TALK
Nicknames or random titles given by fans can sometimes result in some unlikely challenges, as fans of actor Pawan Kalyan are finding out. The actor, known for stunts, fights and dances in movies, now faces the prospect of taking a walk, or rather joining the 64-year-old Dharmana Prasada Rao, the revenue minister of Andhra Pradesh, who challenged the Jana Sena leader to show that he is not just an onscreen hero and can actually walk the talk. It started with words being flung at each other, and Rao said if Pawan, with his ‘Power Star’ moniker, can join him on a 3-km walk just to prove he is fit enough to do so. Rao’s point was that being a hero in cinema is very different from being one in politics. Film stars, Rao’s contention was, are good at posing for pictures, and Pawan is no match for him. "After all, I spent a good 45 years in public life," or so the minister’s contention went. With a steeped history of long marches, starting with Dr Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, as well as by Dr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh is no stranger to walkathons. Rao’s comments now have Pawan’s fans up in arms who say the star will show his ‘power’ in a mega walkathon he plans to start on Dasara this October. This, Pawan’s fans say, will be a step in the right direction to silence his critics.
NAIDU AIMS LONG TERM IN RESPONSE TO 2020 FAILURE
Long back, there was the Vision 2020, TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s famous document to leapfrog the then undivided Andhra Pradesh into the future. With 2020 now history (it is 2022 now after all) Naidu has been talking about Vision 2050.
The 2020 dream of his came crashing down after TD’s defeat in 2019 but, never a man to give up, Naidu now has a plan for the next 28 years for the state. The Vision 2050, unveiled during the Independence Day celebrations, focuses on youth, farmers, health, education, agriculture, women empowerment, interlinking of rivers and such. Party leaders say the new dream is what will be drummed up in the days and months to come at every available opportunity. Politics, after all, is a really long-term haul, as Naidu well knows.
LAKSHMI PARVATI WELCOMES JR NTR’S LEADERSHIP
Does the TD require a NTR to save it? The party founder and former AP chief minister late N.T. Rama Rao’s wife, Lakshmi Parvati certainly thinks so. Stirring the political pot the other day, she said it was time for Jr NTR, the actor, to take over the reins of the party. Lakshmi Parvati, who never saw eye to eye with current TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu, stepped in with her advice to Jr NTR following the actor’s recent meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah. Though all sides claimed that there was nothing political about that meeting, it has not stopped speculation that the late N.T. Rama Rao’s grandson may yet pull off one his greatest performances if he jumps into politics. On her part, Lakshmi Parvati says she is all for it. It was Naidu who, she believes, usurped power from her husband. So will Jr NTR take the bite? That part of the script, however, is yet to be written.
