What is happening within the Telugu Desam? Party leaders and workers are not sure. The reason? Party supremo and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s recent comment about the TD’s dismaying decline. While he did not quite literally say the party was on its deathbed, Naidu’s comment at a party meeting in full glare of the cameras that “the party is dying day by day”, led to a lot of worried frowns among TD leaders. That Naidu was lamenting on the increasing pressure put upon him to set things right for the TD and pointing out that the others were not doing their part of the work to revive the TD, was apparently lost. And as the video clip of his party dying was shared at a frantic pace, it left everyone wondering if the old adage that there are no murders, only suicides in politics, is actually coming true for the TD.
KOPPULA EASHWAR EYES CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
Wagging tongues in the TRS have been stating that a cold war has been brewing between two Telangana ministers. It began with Talasani Srinivas Yadav calling for a meeting to discuss holding Christmas celebrations in Hyderabad, and directing officials from the Minorities Welfare Department to be there in attendance — resulting in some heartburn for Koppula Eashwar, and his staff, over someone looking after all things animals and cinema calling the shots over minorities’ welfare. And then there was the matter of Yadav taking the lead in laying the foundation stone for the Christian Bhavan in the city, leaving Eashwar in the dark over the event. Sources tell another story, claiming Yadav is afterall the minister for the city, so all things Hyderabad come under his turf. A miffed Eashwar reportedly wants to take this to the CM’s notice hoping for a Christmas miracle that will protect his turf trespassing.
SEARCH FOR DIGITAL WARRIORS WITHIN TRS AND BJP
Wanted warriors! Not the traditional kind but those who can knock off a few quick and timely digital punches. In search of such soldiers are BJP and TRS with some talk of early polls in Telangana. Each side is reportedly looking to amass a 30,000 strong army and after its battles against TRS in Dubbaka, Huzurabad, Nagarjunasagar, Munugode bypolls, and the last GHMC elections, the saffron side is believed to be slightly ahead. In demand too are reported to be writers with quick wit and the ability to let loose repartee loaded quick hits. Will a “gotta go viral” push help parties? That of course, remains to be seen.
HOME IS WHERE THE VOTE IS
Home is where the heart is. Or so the saying goes. Nowadays, home is where the constituency is for leaders planning to contest the next Assembly elections. And the hotspot, for now, is the Palair constituency in Khammam district with the likes of former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao (who won from Palair in 2017 by-elections), YSRTP president Y.S. Sharmila, and the CPM state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, all planning to build houses there. Tummala has chosen Sricity in Arempula village, Sharmila has selected a site in Karunagiri, both in the Khammam Rural mandal, while Veerabhadram wants to build one in Teldarpalli, his native village. All have plans to contest from Palair and having a home there is being seen as a first step to stake a claim for votes in the constituency.
BATTLE OF THE BUSES
When the political heat slowly picks up, can plans for caravan campaigning be far behind? Even as the Jana Sena leader in Andhra Pradesh made news with his campaign vehicle Varahi recently, a BJP leader, an NRI, from Adilabad prepared his own caravan, a white coloured bus for his yatra and ‘Palle Nidra’ programme as part of his campaign for the next elections. Too early, some say, with no knowledge if the said aspirant will even get a ticket. But that has not stopped the supporters of the said BJP leader sharing photos of the bus on social media to create some buzz.
MALLU BROTHERS TAKE DIFFERENT SIDES
It is not always that one finds brothers in arms taking two different sides, even so if they are seasoned politicians. But such is the case in the Congress in Telangana over the recently set up PCC committees. At the centre, of sorts, of this issue are CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and his elder brother, a former MP, Mallu Ravi, representing two sections of a split in the party. While Bhatti’s residence in Banjara Hills recently turned into a rallying point for senior leaders including V. Hanumantha Rao, J. Geetha Reddy, A. Maheshwar Reddy, Madhu Yaskhi Goud and M. Kodanda Reddy alleging “injustice” to loyal party workers, Mallu Ravi on the other hand stood up in support of a beleaguered state Congress president A. Revanth Reddy trying to smoothen ruffled feathers. Sibling rivalry, one supposes, can reveal itself even quite late in life.
MURDER THREAT IS POLITICAL GOLD
The TRS MLA from Armoor may have some good tidings coming up, or that is the hope among Ashannagari Jeevan Reddy’s followers. The MLA, and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, has moved to the Ministers’ Quarters in Banjara Hills following an increase in his security cover in the backdrop of an alleged murder attempt on him. This move has cheered his followers who now say that the new residential address could well be a harbinger of a place in the state Cabinet. Jeevan Reddy is known to be on good terms will all those who matter in the TRS — Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, municipal minister and party working president K.T. Rama Rao and MLC K. Kavitha. This fact too could just help him get nudged into the Cabinet, his followers are now hoping.
LITIGANTS TAUGHT HARD LESSON
Every movie from Bollywood, Tollywood, has always made it a point that the law has long arms. No one can escape from it, even if they try to suppress evidence. This came to the fore yet again in the AP High Court, which has put in their place a handful of litigant farmers who attempted to mislead the court on demolition of “their” properties. When authorities in Ippatam village started demolishing compound walls on an encroached land, 14 farmers rushed to the court to stop the work. But in their rush to get protection from the court, they did not inform it that they received notices about the demolition. And once the court found this out, punishment was swift with each litigant being ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh, and their counsel tendering an apology to the court for not informing the court about the demolition notices.
RAID CAUSES POLITICAL RUSH AND TURF WAR
Tuesday night’s raid by Cybercrime wing of Hyderabad city police on Sunil Kanugolu’s office at Madhapur came as a shocker to the Congress, but also to the Cyberabad police under whose jurisdiction the office is located. Initially, a few Cybercrime sleuths went to the office but were surprised when several Congress leaders rushed to the location, which was promptly communicated to the city police chief, who rushed additional forces to the spot to control the situation. And when the Cyberabad police was informed about the development, the local police also got to know about the raids and rushed to the spot, but were reportedly pretty miffed about being kept in the dark.
