NETA NATTER | Naidu Sees A Bigger, Grander Amaravati

When you dream, dream big. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is one who believes in this adage, and works hard to turn what he dreams for into reality. On his mind, among many things, is Amaravati, the new capital city for the state. Never one to give up an opportunity to remind how he developed Hyderabad, Naidu draws parallels between Hyderabad's meteoric rise and his vision for Amaravati. This cannot be fulfilled if Amaravati is limited to just the 29 villages as first thought of. Even as the government, he reminds, is actively promoting large-scale programmes to boost the region's visibility and vibrancy, if confined to that small stretch, Naidu warned, Amaravati would end up as just another municipality, not the world-class capital he dreamt of. For Naidu, Amaravati is not just a city project but a symbol of Andhra Pradesh's aspirations. And he's clearly in no mood to let that vision shrink to a municipal map.

-=-=-=-=-=--=-=

Lokesh Reveals A Secret: Constitution As A Shield

Minister for education, IT and electronics Nara Lokesh turned emotional the other day while sharing a poignant memory from his Yuvagalam Padayatra, revealing how a personal copy of the Indian Constitution became his shield against police obstruction. "This copy of the Constitution is very sentimental to me," he said at the Andhra Pradesh School Assembly on Constitution Day, flipping open the weathered book to underscore its significance. He recalled starting the padayatra with the Constitution in hand for a compelling reason: when police personnel tried to halt his march, Lokesh brandished Article 19, quoting verbatim, "Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression, to assemble peacefully, to form associations or unions, to move freely across India, to reside anywhere, and to pursue any profession or occupation." Lokesh continued, "that day, I made a decision. Whether I become the education minister or not, children must learn from a young age about the rights and responsibilities our Constitution gives them. That is why even today I carry this book with pride."

-=-=-=-=-=-=

Venkaiah's Advice To AP, TG CMs

Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu delivered a sharp reminder that resonates deeply with Telugu pride — our own mother tongue is slipping away, becoming a stranger in its homeland. The alarming erosion of Telugu in governance and daily life is no accident; it's a wake-up call for our leaders and people alike. Venkaiah invoked the promises made by Chief Ministers Revanth Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu to run their administrations solely in Telugu. "Words are cheap; action must follow," Naidu warned, flagging the urgent need for these leaders to uphold their pledge and safeguard Telugu's rightful place in officialdom. He didn't mince words either on the growing culture of freebies, which he says lulls citizens into lethargy. His message was clear: targeted welfare like free education and healthcare for the needy is necessary, but beyond that, such largesse risks creating a dependent population. Telangana and AP governments must rethink their approach before this model imperils not just Telugu society, but India's future.

-=-==-=-=-=-=

Pawan Finds A Nut Hard To Crack

Some nuts are hard to crack as Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan found out the other day. On a visit to the Konaseema district coconut farmers sought his help, taking to his notice that creeping salinity in the soil was hurting their crops and livelihoods. Pawan Kalyan's advice that existing plantations be uprooted and new ones be planted did not sit well with the farmers, particularly from the Razole constituency, despite his promise that he would arrange pensions for them till the plantations begin yielding coconuts. Razole is a Jana Sena stronghold that elected party MLAs in 2019 and 2024, and coconut farmers expected something more from Pawan Kalyan. The Dy.CM telling them that he was not the Chief Minister to grant boons has left the coconut farmers wondering if it worth going nuts over a leader who has limitations when it comes to helping them.

=-=-=-=-

Chevireddy, Isolated & Abandoned

Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, once marketed as the tough man of Chandragiri, is learning how silence works in politics. After spending more than 160 days in judicial custody in the liquor scam, he seems to have realised that loyalty cannot be seized like assets and can simply be forgotten. He rose as YSR's young prodigy, built Chandragiri for Congress and later turned it into a YSRC stronghold. In return, he got two MLA terms and a ticket for Ongole MP in 2024. He lost. His son lost too. The party moved ahead, while Chevireddy moved into judicial custody. Now he carries the title of Accused No. 38 in the liquor scam. Meanwhile, YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who usually visits arrested party leaders, has not done so for Chevireddy and his supporters now whisper that Chevireddy feels abandoned by the party he helped build, and that it's starting to show.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Lokesh Sets Limits After Jagan Trolled

Telugu Desam national general secretary and AP's education minister N. Lokesh has advised party cadres not to target political rivals picking on personal issues to tarnish their image. After all, there is a place even in politics for decency and decorum, was his pitch. Lokesh's comments came in the wake of an AI generated image going viral on social media platforms showing CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, Dy CM Pawan Kalyan and Lokesh walking on a road with YSRC president and former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy sitting on the road holding a placard seeking grant of Leader of the Opposition status in the AP Assembly. Roja Selvamani, former minister and YSRC leader, who was subjected to extensive trolling, said that words without action would remain meaningless, adding that as a woman in public life, she had endured deeply derogatory, gendered insults from TD leaders.

-=-=-=-

In Srikalulam, Student Toppers Get Dropped

Some school toppers in Srikakulam district, expecting to participate in the mock assembly that was organised to mark the Constitution Day, got a lesson of a different kind, one that has left them mystified if not hurt. The district school authorities were asked to screen and rank students — three each from each of the Assembly segments — so that the best among them could be sent to the mock assembly. Accordingly, a test was conducted and students ranked but when the final list came, much to the surprise of participants and the teachers, those who stood second and third were selected while the toppers were ignored. Caught in the middle was the district educational officer Ravi Babu who offered a weak defence that he sent the names of top three, but had no clue how the final selections went.

-=-=-=-=-

Revanth Media Unit Lets Opposition Steal Headlines

Is it time for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to turn his lens on the functioning of his media managers amidst the increasing spread of false narratives by the Opposition, and make his team play a proactive role instead of the present approach of merely reacting… after a delay? The answer appears to be a yes. As the saying goes, 'nijam gadapa daate lopu abadham vooranta tirigochindi (A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes)', the BRS and the BJP have been forcefully attacking the ruling party, with particular focus on Revanth, on every government decision, thanks to their social media's overreach. This is catching the Congress behind the game, and leaving people to be fed with factually incorrect information. Last week, the government was on the defensive on two crucial issues - permitting industrial units within ORR to change their land use, and BC reservations - despite being very strong on facts. The BRS gifted land by converting lease into freehold at dirt cheap rates, allowed private industrial units to convert land usage by collecting 30 per cent of basic value. Though the Congress allowed only conversion for private units, that too collecting the same 30 per cent, the BRS and the BJP projected it as 'Rs 5 lakh crore land scam'. On BC reservations, the Opposition went gaga accusing the Congress government of bringing the reservations down from 23 to 17 per cent while the actual dip was around one percentage point. The drop is also because of the High Court and the Supreme Court holding back polls to some gram panchayats.

-=-=-=-=-

Cop Playing ‘Chor’ New Headache For Top Brass

What happens when duty collides with dice? The episode involving detective sub-inspector B. Bhanu Prakash Reddy of the Amberpet police in Hyderabad who stole recovered gold in a case and pawned his service pistol to raise money to catch up with increasing debts he piled up because of his addiction to online gambling, and betting, has left many scratching their heads in the cop world. Selling, or pawning a service weapon is a serious crime and now, after being suspended from duty, and in police custody like a common criminal, the episode has hit hard the cop world with the realisation that even crime-fighters can get caught in a betting gambling web in an episode that has come to symbolise the sombre realities of life.

-=-=-===-

Komatireddy Gets A Taste Of His Own Medicine

Cyclones and storms do not necessarily start over the sea. Some happen in a proverbial tea cup, thanks to the total recall ability afforded by the Internet. The recent appointment of P. Kailash Netha as Nalgonda district Congress president was one such. which saw a very upset minister from the district, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. Komatireddy wrote to the Chief Minister asking for Netha’s removal from the post as the new appointee had a habit of attacking him. The proof? An old video clip of Netha taking on Komatireddy. Netha's supporters hit back soon after, digging out old clips of Komatireddy not sparing some of his party colleagues. Peace returned quickly after that in the party ranks in the district.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Revanth By Many Names: A Man For All Reasons

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is finding himself rebranded almost daily - as Revanth Goud, Revanth Mudiraj, Revanth Mala, and even Revanth Madiga - depending on which caste organisation hosts him. Far from taking offence, the CM appears to have embraced this ever-changing social identity, which supporters hail as a symbolic endorsement of his government's caste-focused reforms. Various community associations, expressing gratitude for what they describe as "unprecedented attention to social justice," have taken to addressing the CM by their own caste titles. Their reasons are many: completion of the state's first comprehensive caste census for Backward Classes, the passage of bills proposing 42% BC reservations, the revival of long-pending SC sub-categorisation, and the government's decision to mark February 4 every year as Social Justice Day. At recent meetings, Congress BC leaders loudly hailed him as Revanth Goud, while Mala and Madiga community groups rechristened him Revanth Mala and Revanth Madiga. In a state long shaped by identity politics, the CM now carries many — quite literally — by name.

Why Exactly Did KTR Speak of BRS Unity?

The other day, BRS' K.T. Rama Rao's call for unity among leaders and party workers in taking on the Congress government left several wondering over what exactly he meant. Was the call for unity just a regular exhortation of being together, or was there something more? Especially in the wake of his sister and former BRS leader K. Kavitha going hammer and tongs at her cousin and senior party leader T. Harish Rao, and adding others like former minister S. Niranjan Reddy to her list of targets? Don't read too much into the unity bit is what some seniors in the BRS say, but the hint was there. Efforts are apparently on to keep the flock together, especially with panchayat polls round the corner.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kavitha In ‘Congress’ Colours Springs A Surprise

What does a budding politician, or a sidelined veteran need the most? Visibility and attention, are two from the list. K. Kavitha, ploughing a lone Telangana Jagruti political furrow, had many talking about her wardrobe choice at Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka's son's engagement ceremony. Accompanied by her husband, Kavitha at the ceremony caught many eyes not just with her presence but also her sartorial choice of a sari with red and green borders — reminiscent of the ones usually worn by Congress' women leaders at party events. If there was a political message in that, it went out strongly, and as her pictures at the event did the rounds, questions began flying thick and fast if what Kavitha did was a signal to the Congress, or to the BRS.

Contributions from Md. Ilyas, Vadrevu Srinivas, Laxmi Pranathi, Avinash P Subramanyam, KMP Patnaik, L. Venkat Ram Reddy, Balu Pulipaka, Neeraj Kumar, P. Srinivas, N. Vamsi Srinivas