Andhra Pradesh Neta Natter | Ministers Playing Hooky Feel Naidu’s Ire

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu shed his trademark composure and delivered a stern message to his Cabinet colleagues: Perform, or perish politically. Naidu made it clear to his ministers that their political success depended on their work. “How many times should I tell you,” he is said to have asked, signalling that patience was wearing thin in Amaravati’s power centre. This happened immediately after he chaired the Cabinet meeting, Naidu’s sharp displeasure is reported to have boiled over on inadequate preparation and a casual approach by some ministers, both in the Assembly and in governance. The Chief Minister reportedly made it clear that coming to the House half-armed with facts would no longer be tolerated. “Even if there is no aggressive Opposition, random remarks and casual replies must stop,” he cautioned, insisting that answers in the Assembly be crisp, clear and comprehensible to the public.

Dessert diplomacy, Lokesh style, to keep bonds strong

When politics gets too spicy, add a dash of dessert diplomacy. That seems to be the new recipe of Nara Lokesh, who has swapped conference tables for dining tables in what is being whispered about as dinner diplomacy. At his Undavalli residence this past Thursday night, MPs, MLAs and MLCs from the Machilipatnam parliamentary constituency gathered for what was officially a get-together. Unofficially? It was a coalition-bonding exercise with better catering. There was no politics on the menu, there were no heated debates, no whispered arithmetic of seats and shares — just second helpings and small talk. Leaders arrived with families, laughter flowed more freely than political promises, and the evening resembled a wedding reception. Lokesh, playing a genial host, moved from table to table enquiring about children’s studies and family welfare — a masterclass in personalised politics. The women guests received Mangalagiri handloom silk saris, woven by artisans from his constituency — a thoughtful gift with a subtle constituency plug. In coalition times, it appears chemistry may matter as much as strategy. And if camaraderie can be cooked over curry and silk, why not?

YSRC’s Eleven on a sticky wicket

Politics loves drama, but on February 11, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly got a dose of arithmetic too. When the 11 MLAs of the opposition YSRC, led by former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, staged a walkout during the joint sitting, Speaker Chintakayala Ayyannapatrudu couldn’t resist a quip. In a post-session chat with the media, Ayyannapatrudu laid it out: “On the 11th, 11 MLAs came and stayed for 11 minutes before walking out. They did not remain any longer than that.” The numerical coincidence, clearly, was too tempting to ignore.

A wedding, a couple, a bouquet and a suitor

Mistakes will be made. Even by former chief ministers, sometimes, innocuously, as was the incident involving former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at his cousin’s wedding in Chennai recently. Jagan, of course, was there, and so was the actor-turned-politician and TVK party president Vijay, and this is where things got interesting. Vijay brought a bouquet of flowers to congratulate the newlywed couple. Jagan, in an apparent moment of misunderstood intentions, stepped forward to receive it, only to see Vijay calling his security personnel and handing the bouquet to the newly-weds, clarifying the intended recipient.

Vizag’s corporators push for a pre-retirement junket

The Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation is set to be dissolved on March 17, but some corporators are pushing for study tours before the end comes. They argue that such tours were not conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic and are now seeking compensation through trips to other states. Requests have been made to the authorities to arrange for these tours, despite criticism that previous excursions lacked accountability. Records indicate that corporators rarely submitted reports to GVMC commissioners detailing their observations or outcomes from earlier trips. As the dissolution approaches, questions remain about whether these last-minute tours serve the public interest or provide perks for corporators before their terms end.

‘Whip’ of no use as MLA tries to gatecrash

The woes of uninvited guests are legendary. And it was no different for Tuni MLA and government whip Yanamala Divya during minister Nara Lokesh’s recent visit to Kakinada for two meetings at JNTUK and Coromandel company. A message was sent to the MLAs that only related constituency MLAs should be at the meetings to which two MLAs and two MLCs were invited. Divya turned up at the JNTUK meeting, but was stopped at the gate by the police as her name was not among the invitees list. Despite her declaring that she was the government whip and the Tuni MLA, it took nearly 30 minutes of back and forth before she was allowed in. For that duration, it did not matter that Divya is the daughter of senior TD leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, himself a six-time MLA and a former Speaker of the Assembly, and held several portfolios as a minister in his career.

Certificate for a tiger, till it shows its stripes

A leopard, as they say, doesn’t change its spots. But what about a tiger? Will it change its stripes? Apparently, the one that was caught near Rajahmundry the other day, sort of did just that. Or did it? First, the 200-kg big cat, then in hiding, let the 80-year-old MLA of Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA, Gorantla Buchaich Chowdary, and district forest officer V. Prabhakara Rao along with some from the media pass peacefully, as it hunkered down in a banana garden. Four days later, it entered a hut at Kurmapuram and stayed put inside, where it let the two buffaloes tied there be. Giving a good boy certificate to the tiger, Prabhakara Rao said that it was noteworthy that the tiger left the village peacefully without harming the livestock or the people. But the buffaloes’ loud bellows and the tiger’s grunts told a different story. The big cat apparently did have a go at the buffaloes but in the confined space it could not overcome the bovine resistance. And that was that, until the time it decided to make a go for it and was finally caught after a 17-day pursuit.

Or how to calm agitated MLCs

Flared tempers and angry exchanges are commonplace during Assembly sessions, but they also come in handy for scoring some points as minister Nara Lokesh demonstrated during Question Hour in the AP Legislative Council. Apparently not satisfied with the reply to a question on land allotments, YSRC member Tumati Madhava Rao continued finding fault with the state government for allotting valuable land parcels at low prices for industries and businesses. Lokesh’s reply was that the aim was to attract more investments to the state. As Rao continued his questioning, Lokesh said that the member might be in need of pills to control his blood pressure.

Prasanthi a hard act to follow

Political aspirants with dreams of succeeding Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prasanthi Reddy might as well start practicing sprinting, emergency response drills, and perhaps keep a helicopter on standby. Matching the current MLA’s pace — be it her presence and reaching out to console people in distress, or providing immediate financial assistance in such cases — has now become the talk of the town, even as her detractors point out that it helps that her husband is the MP from Nellore, Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, and how MPLAD funds can land in just the right place at the right time in Kovur constituency. Even so, for local political observers, the MLA has apparently set the bar pretty high for anyone who might want to challenge her when the next elections come around.

Contributions from Md Ilyas, Laxmi Pranathi, Aruna, Vadrevu Srinivas, Sampat G. Samritan, Pathri Rajasekhar