AP Neta Natter | Ramayana Redux In AP Politics

Sometimes, the best defence tactics come from mythology. Clearly believing this to be so is AP’s water resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu who likened Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan as Rama and Lakshmana from the Ramayana, for their harmonious relationship. Not just that, Ramanaidu has even staked the claim that this relationship will see them rule the state for the next 15 to 20 years. It is this togetherness of the CM and the Deputy CM that laid low the YSRC, its president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is now nervous and is conspiring to break the brotherhood fearing that their unity will be fatal for his political survival. This, according to Ramanaidu, is why Jagan has begun targeting Pawan and the Kapu community in a bid to stir a hornets’ nest and develop cracks in the relationship between Naidu and Kalyan, and that Jagan’s ploy will not succeed.

Taunted Pawan takes it out on cops

Strange are the outcomes when politicians feel forced to take a stand. Take for instance the spot Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has found himself in after facing attacks about his relevance being limited to one caste. This being the case, Pawan’s recent comments that things would be different had he been the home minister are being viewed as a veiled warning about how law and order in the state was tottering. Things have come to such a pass that, at a recent programme in Kakinada, district collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad, and the superintendent of police G. Bindu Madhav, were left standing during Pawan’s 40-minute speech: They had to get up every time he mentioned how law and order conditions were, despite minister Nadendla Manohar inviting them to sit. Folks at the meeting were left wondering if Pawan was putting into action his famous line from the movie Gabbar Singh — “Nako thikka undi, daniko lekka undi’’ (I have a quirky streak, but there is a calculation to it)’.

Jagan man tries a bit of bluster

What is a follower if not able to stand up for his leader? What is the worst that can happen if one stands up? Going by the brouhaha between Kakinada Rural MLA Pantham Venkateswara Rao (Nanaji), and senior YSRC leader and former Prodduturu MLA Rachamallu Siva Prasada Reddy from Kadapa district, the result could be a war of words. Following Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan admonishing party MPs and MLAs for not effectively countering the YSRC campaign against him, Nanaji went all out, challenging the former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to contest from Kakinada Rural constituency, and throwing in a prediction that Jagan will lose such a poll, and adding for good measure that people still remember how Jagan spent time in prison, and how people have not forgotten that. Clearly irked and rising in Jagan’s defence, Siva Prasada Reddy warned Nanaji that if the criticisms do not stop, then “we will visit your constituency and teach a fitting lesson” and even alluded to how those from Kadapa don’t believe in words but in action.

When doctors were kept out of a hospital meeting

The long-awaited King George Hospital Development Committee meeting took place on Wednesday, marking the first session since Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore assumed his role in Visakhapatnam. Initially met with high hopes from the hospital staff, the meeting is said to have quickly turned into a disappointment when senior doctors and heads of departments were excluded from the discussions. Traditionally, HoDs have played a crucial role in shaping hospital development plans; however, this time, they were sidelined, raising concerns about transparency and intent. Officials present included superintendent Dr I. Vani, AMC principal Dr Sandhya Devi, and MLA Vamsikrishna Srinivasarao Yadav, while doctors were asked to wait outside. The confidential agenda, which focused on infrastructure expansion and patient services, has sparked controversy.

Hemmed in, Roja waits for a retake

Former sports minister R.K. Roja appears to be playing a waiting game as the vigilance inquiry into the Aadudam Andhra programme enters its final stages. Known for her aggressive political batting against rivals, Roja now finds herself on a different pitch. With coalition leaders repeatedly raising allegations linked to sports equipment purchases and infrastructure works, every shot she plays appears to invite a sharper return. Political circles say Roja faces a tricky choice. She can walk down the track and take on the coalition head-on, or remain at the crease until the inquiry report is made public. While YSRC leaders believe an aggressive play by her could energise party workers, coalition leaders seem determined to keep the scoreboard ticking with daily references to the inquiry. For now, Roja has largely chosen to leave those deliveries alone with her supporters calling it patience, and critics calling it caution. Political observers simply see it as a rare phase in Andhra politics — a leader famous for playing attacking strokes deciding that defence may be the better option until the match enters its next session.

A question a day keeps Narayana hopping

Most political newcomers spend their early years learning the ropes. But YSRC MLC Parvathareddy Chandrasekhar Reddy seems to have chosen a different strategy — keeping minister P. Narayana and his supporters permanently on the defensive. Though a relative novice in politics before becoming an MLC, Chandrasekhar Reddy appears to have developed a knack for landing political punches that demand immediate responses. Not long ago, he triggered a lively debate by questioning the cost of saplings and their maintenance under a plantation programme in Nellore that ended with Narayana’s camp scrambling to explain the costs, specifications and funding details of each sapling. Now, the MLC has shifted his sights to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll, lodging a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that Narayana interfered in the process, leading political observers to say Chandrasekhar Reddy had discovered a formula that works: raise a question, hold a press conference and wait for Narayana’s supporters to respond. In Nellore politics, Narayana may be busy running a ministry, but Chandrasekhar Reddy seems busy making sure the minister’s team is on its toes searching for clarifications.

Contributions from Vadrevu Srinivas, Pathri Rajasekhar, Aruna, Avinash P. Subramanyam, Sampat G. Samritan