Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wanted to hit two birds with one shot by promoting the “power of cycle” by reaching out to the places where special intensive revision of electoral rolls will be taken up on the electric cycle at least for some days in a month and also to save fuel as part of austere measures to be eco-friendly.
Little friend steals spotlight during Naidu’s Guntur visit
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s social media posts are usually packed with updates on investments, reviews and governance. But a post he shared on Wednesday struck a different chord and quickly became a hit among netizens. “I made a little friend today,” the Chief Minister wrote on X, attaching a video of his newest companion — an adorable toddler. The heartwarming clip showed Naidu affectionately kissing the child, while the little girl responded with a radiant toothless smile, winning hearts online. The charming interaction took place during the Chief Minister’s visit to Guntur for the inauguration of a hospital. As Naidu picked up the little girl, who appeared comfortable with the Chief Minister, she appeared reluctant to let go of him even when the child’s mother sought to take her back. Clearly delighted by the unexpected bond, Naidu later shared the video and introduced her as his “new friend”. The post soon attracted a flood of likes and comments, with some joking that friendship has no age limit and others saying the duo looked like “two little children sharing secrets.”
A pedal push for roll revision
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wanted to hit two birds with one shot by promoting the “power of cycle” by reaching out to the places where special intensive revision of electoral rolls will be taken up on the electric cycle at least for some days in a month and also to save fuel as part of austere measures to be eco-friendly. At a meeting with TD MLAs, he wanted them to be on high alert for the upcoming SIR of electoral rolls to see that the opposition YSRC does not play any tricks to enhance the votes of its supporters. He advised party MLAs and MPs to use electric bicycles to reach out to the people during the revision and ensure no anomalies creep in the revised rolls.
Verbal duels to silence: TTD chief’s new strategy sparks speculation
There was a time when any statement by former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy almost guaranteed a counterattack from current TTD chairman B.R. Naidu. Allegations were quickly met with counter-allegations, and neither side seemed willing to surrender the final word. That arrangement, however, appears to have changed. Bhumana continues to hold press meets on TTD affairs, raising questions on issues ranging from SRIVANI and the AI-based darshan system to temple administration and land matters. The questions, allegations keep coming as do the demands for clarifications. The counterattacks, however, have become increasingly rare. For reasons known only to him, Naidu appears to have decided that not every allegation deserves a public reply. But that has created a peculiar situation with people watching the TTD goings on wondering over the reasons for the Board chairman’s silence, making his silence the talking point these days.
From campaign promise to elephant problem
Trumpeting during an election campaign is one thing. But tackling the ponderous problem on which promises were made is another thing once elected. Finding herself in such a spot is minister Gummidi Sandhya Rani who had vowed to shield farmers in Parvathipuram Manyam from wild elephants. That was the easy part. Now, as fear grips villagers as eight elephants, including calves, roam near Markondaputti damaging palm oil plantations, and farmers demanding swift action including the setting up of a promised 400-acre Guchimi elephant sanctuary and deployment of trained Kumki elephants to push the herd deeper into reserve forests, the one question doing the rounds is where the leader who promised protection, is when it comes to actually doing something about the problem.
KTR’s ‘OG’ remark rekindles debate over KCR’s record
A two-letter abbreviation has suddenly become the hottest political label in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The buzzword? “OG.” The term, borrowed from pop culture and amplified by the hype surrounding Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan's latest film OG, has now crossed over to political battlegrounds. The latest to wield the tag was BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who hailed former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao as the “OG of Telangana” — projecting him as the original architect and undisputed pioneer of the state's political journey. But in politics, every label comes with a counter-label. The Congress was quick to reject the compliment, arguing that KCR was anything but an OG. Congress leaders instead branded him a ‘Nazi’, accusing him of running Telangana in an authoritarian manner during his decade-long tenure in power. For the uninitiated, OG stands for ‘Original Gangster’. While its roots lie in street slang, the term today is widely used to describe a respected trailblazer, an authentic original, or someone regarded as a legend in their field.
Owaisi’s missing ingredient: Where’s the meat?
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is troubled by the UP government’s list of 200 traditional dishes, as part of its ‘one district, one product/cuisine’ initiative to promote the state’s cuisine. The problem? According to Asad, 53% of people in UP eat non-vegetarian food, yet no meat dish was included in the 200 long item list. According to Asad, the situation in UP has come to such a pass that youth who organised an Iftar on Ganga were penalized by court, and robbers raiding a house, before leaving, instructed the women in the house after they spotted chicken in the fridge to stop using meat, and keep only vegetables in the family fridge. This is not a new grouse Asad has with the BJP on cuisine choices. Back in 2018, he countered Union Home Minister Amit Shah who alleged that the KCR government had time to eat biryani with Majlis leaders but had no time to address the state's pressing issues. Asad had then hit back by sarcastically stating that he did not know biryani was so much on Shah’s mind, and offered to arrange for a parcel of Kalyani (beef variant of biryani) to be delivered to Shah in New Delhi.
Contributions from Md Ilyas, Aruna, Avinash P Subramanyam, Sampat G Samritan, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Md Nizamuddin
