Their bonhomie is in full bloom. It may be a mere coincidence, but the chief ministers of both states —Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, both of whom talk development and good governance, have turned ‘demolition men’ and that, around the same time. So, do they have a common working style or a similar thought process, we wonder. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy kicked up a political storm by ordering the demolition of the Praja Vedika built by Chandrababu Naidu, citing illegal construction. On the other hand, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is determined to bring down Errum Manzil palace, an 1870 structure, for the construction of a new Assembly building, although that’s left heritage lovers fuming. The latter’s plans to demolish the old structure in the Secretariat and build a new one at a cost of Rs 400 crore, too, has raised many an eyebrow.
Timely interventions
Coming as they do around the same time, both demolitions have become the talk of the town in the respective states and many are left wondering if both the Chief Ministers even think and plan alike. “Both chief ministers are strong willed and self-made. Each of them started their respective political parties from scratch and won. I feel that is something common between the two leaders. When it comes to working style, both the Chief Ministers are tough task masters,” shares YSR Congress MP P.V. Midhun Reddy. If the buzz in the corridors of power is to be believed, both the chief ministers reportedly took previous ‘approval’ of Swami Swaroopanandendra Saraswati before announcing the demolition of Praja Vedika and Errum Manzil, respectively.
The spiritual connect
KCR is a staunch follower of the Swamiji, whom even Jagan has become a strong follower of in the last couple of years. Besides, both chief ministers are also followers of Chinna Jeeyar Swamy and regular visitors to his ashram on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Grapevine even has it that it was on KCR’s advice that Jagan started seeking the blessings of the two godmen. A top bureaucrat shared his thoughts on the two CMs. “When it comes to politics and political opponents both can be equally unforgiving. When it comes to work style, both are different. As far as the demolition of structures in both states is concerned, both have shown that once they decide something, they stick to it, come what may. This also shows that both politicians can turn aggressive when the situation so demands,” he cautions.
