NETA NATTER AP | Naidu Comes Up With A Cure For OTT Binging

A good politician is one who has well-meditated solutions to problems. For instance, like the seasoned politician and AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who deftly turned a potential sticky situation into a seemingly social problem where nearly anyone could be the culprit. Turning into a votary of calmness, and a champion of stress-busting meditation, Naidu the other day suggested that all his party MLAs practise a daily 20-minute dose of meditation. The advice came against the backdrop of a recent incident where a TD MLA reportedly created a ruckus at a government office. Linking the phenomenon of frayed tempers to excessive binge-watching of OTT series and crime-filled reels, Naidu suggested mindfulness, even offering to organise special meditation classes if required. For now, Naidu’s meditation mantra appears to have calmed things down.

How to get an LPG refill, without booking

Sometimes, it is all about making the right connection. At a time when people across the country are queuing and waiting for gas cylinders for days together, a 70-year-old tribal woman achieved the feat of having a gas cylinder delivered to her doorsteps within just an hour. Without even having booked it beforehand. It all happened during a visit by Polavaram district collector K. Dinesh Kumar to her hut at Sirigindalapadu in Rampachodavaram mandal to distribute the pension amount. During the conversation that followed, she pointed out that she did not get a gas cylinder. Orders flew immediately and soon a five-kg cylinder, as per a scheme offered to tribals, landed at her doorstep. Later, officials discovered that she had not booked a cylinder at all, leaving them scratching their heads while the woman profusely praised the collector for his prompt and responsive action.

Jagan’s ‘Mavigun’ comes with a strong recoil

There was once a ‘Quickgun Murugan’. And now, there appears to be a ‘Mavigun Jagun’ thanks to former chief minister and YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy freely shooting from his hip and missing the bull’s-eye by a wide margin. Never a fan of Amaravati as the AP capital, Jagan had pushed for three capitals during his tenure in power but that plan was as effective as firing an aimless blank. After the humiliating win of just 11 seats in the Assembly in 2024 elections against the 151 of the 175 he had previously, Jagan was at it again, proposing a capital region of Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur (MAVIGUN), immediately prompting a wave of memes poking fun at, well, ‘Jagun’. Though Jagan did say that the name could be anything other than MAVIGUN, if folks in power are averse to his suggestions, the former CM found himself in the firing range of the meme world, his new status as ‘Mavigun Jagun’ doing little to save him from the shooting gallery his finds himself in.

Naidu holds a lesson to MLA No. 164

During his visit to Udayagiri constituency this past Wednesday, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu delivered what sounded less like a routine review and more like a reality check to Udayagiri MLA Kakarla Suresh — currently placed at a memorable 164th rank in Naidu’s performance index. At a meeting of party workers, Naidu pointed out lack of coordination among TD leaders, hinting that internal dissatisfaction appeared to be doing much better than development works. Favouring a few and ignoring others, he hinted, was not exactly a winning strategy. Meanwhile, unity in Udayagiri appears to be on a vacation with Suresh reportedly not getting along with former legislators Bollineni Rama Rao and Mekapati Chandrasekhar Reddy. Naidu also noticed that of the around 1,400 attendees at the meeting, only a handful were women, suggesting that grassroots connect might still be under construction and set a three-month deadline to Suresh to improve matters. For now, Udayagiri seems to have plenty of political activity — just not all of it going in the same direction.

Nedurumalli scion’s ‘home rule’ gets a bashing

There is no rule that every political heir should be like his or her father. But despite the absence of like-father-like-son rule, Nedurumalli Ramkumar Reddy, the YSRC in-charge for Venkatagiri, appears to have stirred a pot of discontent, thanks to his apparent unapproachability to party cadres. Ramkumar, who has been announcing his availability through statements, included one that said he would be available at his house. That has raised quite a few eyebrows, with questions doing the rounds that if home is not one of the places he should be available for party workers, who say most in-charges are present in their constituencies, meet people daily and do not need reminders to prove it. In Venkatagiri, however, the party’s leader’s presence has turned into a scheduled update and complaints have apparently reached the party leadership, and talk of a change is doing the rounds.

Should they splurge now, or just wait

The government’s move to expand GVMC wards from 98 to 120 has thrown outgoing corporators into a quandary. With boundaries yet to be finalised and reservations pending, many are uncertain whether spending money or engaging in public service within their current wards will yield any benefit when the elections are held. The fear is that such efforts could be wasted if their chosen areas are redrawn. With the Chief Minister confirming elections within six months, corporators in this seaside city are reportedly caught between the proverbial devil and the deep sea.

Nimmala ever-ready with a helping hand

Lending a hand to those doing hard work may have something to it after all. Apparently, the MLA from Palakollu and the water resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu has hit upon something that works for him. A former school teacher, Ramanaidu has picked up the habit of jumping out of his car while on tours, and well, lends a hand to those working nearby. He has been spotted multiple times riding a bicycle, or a motorbike, or as happened the other day, joining those at works on a road and other development works being done at a burial ground for Christians in Palakollu. Out of the car in a flash, Ramanaidu picked up one of the head pans used by the workers, loaded it with gravel, and carried the gravel to the mixing machine, pouring it in. He then posed for some photographs, and then left. Politicians usually talk about what they have done, but Ramanaidu appears to have left it to the pictures to say a thousand words about him.

Contributions from Md. Ilyas, Vadrevu Srinivas, Pathri Rajasekhar, Aruna