AP CM Holds Meeting with Pawan on Major Issues
There is also buzz that the duo may have exchanged views on the selection of Rajya Sabha candidates and the roadmap for the forthcoming local body elections.
Vijayawada: In a politically significant development, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a closed-door meeting with Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan for around two hours at his Undavalli residence on Tuesday, triggering intense speculation in political circles.
The meeting held amid the ongoing Assembly Session assumed importance also in view of the approaching elections to the Rajya Sabha.
Notably, this was the second one-on-one interaction between the two leaders within a month, the previous meeting having been held on February 4. The timing has set tongues wagging, particularly as the Assembly is set to reconvene on Wednesday after a four-day break.
While meetings between the CM and his Cabinet colleagues are routine, Pawan Kalyan’s interactions with Naidu drew sharper focus. As a key pillar of the alliance government, the Deputy CM has been close to the CM, vocally defending the government during politically challenging moments. In the Assembly too, the CM often entrusted Pawan Kalyan with the job of responding to critical issues on behalf of the government.
Speculation is rife that the two leaders deliberated on strategy ahead of fresh debates, especially in the Legislative Council where the Opposition YSRC has mounted an aggressive attack on the government over the Tirumala laddu adulteration controversy.
With education minister N. Lokesh largely steering the government’s defence in the Council so far, a speculation is that Pawan Kalyan may step in during Wednesday’s discussion. Sources suggest that the Deputy CM discussed floor strategy with the Chief Minister.
There is also buzz that the duo may have exchanged views on the selection of Rajya Sabha candidates and the roadmap for the forthcoming local body elections.
Based on the current strengths of the parties, the alliance is expected to win four Rajya Sabha seats from AP. Telugu Desam is likely to renew the seat of Sana Satish and that leaves three seats with Jana Sena and BJP will get one each while the TD will pick the last one. Jana Sena may finally have its first Rajya Sabha member this time. There is a strong buzz that Jana Sena chief will give this seat to industrialist Lingamaneni Ramesh who is close to both Naidu and Pawan Kalyan.
However, government sources asserted that the meeting was primarily administrative in nature. The two leaders reviewed progress in the panchayat raj, rural development, RWS and forest departments, which are under Pawan Kalyan’s supervision.
Pawan briefed Naidu on the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, utilisation of funds, allocation for panchayat raj roads, and constituency-wise distribution of development grants. He also explained the rollout of ‘Magic Drains’ in various gram panchayats and proposed expanding the model to all panchayats to ensure scientific sanitation management.
Pawan Kalyan also raised the issue of desilting drainage canals under the irrigation department, urging that works be taken up during summer and completed before the commencement of the cropping season to benefit farmers. He apprised the CM of the forest department’s ‘HANUMAN Project’, outlining its objectives and implementation strategy.
Later, on social media platform X, Pawan Kalyan thanked the CM, saying, “Thank you to Chandrababu Naidu for giving top priority to the creation of infrastructure in every village in the state and providing full support and allocating funds to strengthen the panchayat system. In today's long meeting, valuable suggestions were given to further accelerate the work of the Jal Jeevan Mission project and the construction of roads in rural areas.”
“By following the instructions of the Chief Minister, we will be part of the goal of Vikasit Bharat,” Pawan Kalyan added.
