AP Neta Natter | Naidu Too Latches On To The Latest Buzzword: Gen Z

If there is one thing AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu never runs short of, it is a buzzword. From ‘Sramadanam’, ‘Janmabhoomi’, Somavaram-Polavaram, AI and Quantum, Naidu has regularly upgraded his vocabulary to match the political and administrative season. And then came Gen Z. At the recent district collectors’ conference in Amaravati, Naidu introduced Gen Z with a dedicated session on leadership in governance. The message to the collectors was clear: understand Gen Z, develop leadership skills and, most importantly, deliver. Naidu’s buzzwords have often been ambitious enough to fill PowerPoint presentations, conference halls and policy documents, and for now, the Chief Minister has handed the bureaucracy its latest mantra: Gen Z. Leadership. Deliver.

Nellore rural MLA sings his way to a winning formula

If you can’t get them with your speeches, try a song. Or so was clearly the plan of Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who, at his ‘Mata Manti’ chat with students the other day, instead of launching into a speech, started singing and belted out a couple of numbers, including the popular ‘Apuroopamainadamma Aadajanma’ — a ballad by Gaddar. And apparently, Sridhar Reddy managed to hit the right notes, with the students enjoying the unexpected musical interlude and responding with claps, cheers and applause. With students then going on to ask him questions on careers, jobs, women’s empowerment and politics, the MLA appears to have hit upon a winning formula — get the audience clapping before getting down to business.

Temper flares as canal row runs dry

Unquiet flows the water. At least for Amalapuram’s Telugu Desam MLA Ayithabathula Ananda Rao. During an interaction with farmers, the MLA was put on the spot over works related to a canal, with farmers complaining that since the work stopped, they had stopped receiving water for their fields. All was well until then, but things quickly changed, with the atmosphere suddenly getting charged. The reason? One of the farmers told the MLA that there was talk in the constituency that he was responsible for halting the works. All hell broke loose, with the MLA, whose temper apparently rose at the comment, declaring that he would slap with his slippers anyone spreading rumours against him. Word soon started doing the rounds that during a similar incident after a cyclone, then YSRC leader Karumuri Nageswara Rao too lost his temper when farmers confronted him. Needless to say, Rao lost the next election, and the question doing the rounds now is whether Ananda Rao will win the next one.

Big on releases, missing at the CRZ meet

Talk comes easy. Action, as everyone knows, is a harder act to follow. This was the buzz doing the rounds at the recent Andhra Pradesh Coastal Zone Management public consultation in Visakhapatnam. Despite the district’s 130-km coastline and nearly 20 lakh population, the turnout was poor, with only about 100 people attending, mostly officials and partners. But what caught the eye were not those present, but those who were not, particularly Jana Sena leaders Bolisetty Satyanarayana and Peethala Murthy Yadav. Known for their nearly daily press releases on environmental issues, their absence from the CRZ meet raised many an eyebrow.

Revanth joins the retro trend with an AI twist

It’s a generation that can clearly give sleepless nights to rulers. And among those not taking any chances with Gen Z is Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who apparently took note of this generation’s use of social media and jumped onto the latest social media craze in a move that blends politics, nostalgia and a dash of AI magic, turning himself into an 1980s-style retro hero. Revanth took to X to share an AI-generated image created using ChatGPT, showing himself in full vintage-film mode. Dressed in a brown blazer, cream shirt with a broad collar and high-waisted brown trousers, Revanth is seen casually leaning against the iconic Yamaha RX100. With old posters, bicycles, plants and retro signboards completing the backdrop, the image looks straight out of an 80s movie, complete with warm tones and grainy visuals. His caption was short and unmistakably Gen Z-friendly: “Joining 80’s trend…” The post soon sparked reactions, with one user joking, “Prajapalana movie hero sir akkada,” while another declared, “Trend mein chalre anna.”

When goats joined the protest at Erravalli

The best-laid plans… Finding themselves in just such a situation were the police, amidst the heat and dust of protests by Dalits and Congress activists near the Erravalli farmhouse of former Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao in Siddipet district the other day. The police had made elaborate security arrangements in the area and were ready to manage the protesters or any untoward incident. And then came the surprise — a flock of goats that apparently decided to check on the goings-on at the barricades placed at Varadarajapur village. The arrival of the animals caught the already tense police off guard and left them scrambling, even as the animals’ bleating led some onlookers to shout gleefully that the goats may have decided to join the protest.

Tradition finds a place in Assembly records

Rarely does an opportunity come to get traditions placed on the record — not in books or academic research, but in the Legislative Assembly. And grabbing one such chance was Thungathurthy MLA Mandula Samuel, who made the most of his opportunity to speak in the House when he touched upon the caste-based professions of Scheduled Castes, making sure some of their tools of trade became part of the Assembly records. He talked about the ‘Pani Kathuthu’, a knife-like tool used for cutting leather while making traditional chappals, which are slowly disappearing as more modern footwear options flood the market. Samuel also talked about how the ‘Metharulu’ category among SCs were the only ones engaged in this work. Incidentally, this sub-sect also engages in traditional dappu beating during marriages as well as funerals. And this bit of information is now part of the hallowed records of the Assembly.

Contributions from L Venkat Ram Reddy, P Srinivas, Md Narender Pulloor, Ilyas, Aruna, Vadrevu Srinivas, Avinash P Subramanyam