Tollywood heroes, thanks to their scriptwriters, are known for their impactful “punch dialogues” that resonate with the audience. And taking a leaf out of such a playbook, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao appears to have sharpened his attacks on the Congress and its six guarantees, delivering some seemingly simple but effective lines at his public meetings that leave the crowds in no doubt on how to see the Congress through the BRS prism. KTR has come up with his own version of ‘six guarantees’ to mock Congress’ six guarantees and for good measure, has been saying “Congress is a party without warranty but giving guarantee to people,” a dialogue that has gone viral on social media. As far as the guarantees are concerned, KTR’s narrative is if the Congress comes to power, there will be a guarantee of power shortage, drinking water shortage, irrigation shortage, investments shortage, jobs shortage, and a new CM every year. The other dialogues of KTR that have gone viral include “BRS symbolises saagu neellu (irrigation water) and the Congress sybmolises kanneellu (tears),” and “the BRS symbolises ‘schemes’ and the Congress ‘scams’.”
TD CAMP SHAKES IN FEAR OF JAIL TIME
Even as AP’s former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu struggles to come out of the Rajahmundry Central Prison where he is lodged in connection with the AP Skill Development Corporation scam case, fear has gripped several other TD leaders and supporters that it could be their turn to face the legal heat soon. With the AP-CID pursuing three cases, the AP Skill Development Corporation scam, alignment irregularities in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road, and the AP Fibernet scam and with names of Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh, along with TD leaders Ponnuru Narayana, Lingamaneni Ramesh, and Lingamaneni Venkata Surya Rajasekhar getting linked with these cases, there is an increased sense of nervousness in the TD camp. Though only Nadu is in prison, those who fear that the law could go after them are also apparently worried about the mosquito menace, non-availability of hot water and other amenities in Central Prison.
MLA TURNS RELIGIOUS CHAMELEON
The Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations appear to have come just at the right time for Khanapur BRS MLA candidate NRI Bhukya Johnson Rathod Naik who had been facing allegations about his ST status with his political opponents claiming that he follows Christianity and hence, does not qualify for ST status. Naik got busy over the Ganesh Navaratri, using the occasion to visit as many pujas at Ganesh pandals in Khanapur constituency and posting his photos along with devotees on social media including those with him wearing saffron scarves, offering aarti to the idols and the like.
HANUMANTH RAO HARD TO FORGET FOR BRS
Mynampally Hanumanth Rao may no longer be in the BRS but that has not stopped his picture being included on posters put up by BRS workers in Malkajgiri on the occasion of Ganesh Nimmajanam celebrations. Others in these posters were minister T. Srinivas Yadav, and party aspirant from Goshamahal Nanda Kishore Vyas. Maybe the posters were ordered before Hanumanth Rao quit the BRS, but those in the know say friendships and old associations could have had something to do with it.
ROJA LANDS IN SEXIST SOUP
AP tourism minister R.K. Roja who recently asserted that the success of the “reformation and development efforts” of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy can be seen by the increase in instances of men in Andhra Pradesh seeking financial assistance from their wives. Her comment in the Assembly sparked an online controversy with questions, mostly from men, questioning the credibility of her claims and considering the implications of such a situation. One of the questions doing the rounds, possibly quite missing the point Roja was apparently trying to make about women feeling empowered, was if the CM’s programmes were as successful as the minister’s claims were, men too should have been doing better.
NAIDU WIVES TO THE RESCUE
Nara Bhuvaneswari and Nara Brahmani from the Nara household have always studiously stayed away from the politics of their spouses, former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and Nara Lokesh respectively. But Naidu’s arrest has changed all that and the two women who helm Heritage Foods, have been camping in Rajahmundry, where Naidu is lodged in prison. Even as they conduct their business matters, every day they are meeting folks coming to express support and thanking those coming forward to do this while those who meet with Bhuvaneswari and Brahmani, appear to be happy to post their pictures of the occasion on social media.
