Naidu desperate to regain lost ground

Barely 24 hours after he was snubbed by Tollywood super star and ‘Jana Sena’ leader Pawan Kalyan at Narendra’s Modi’s public meeting in Hyderabad, Naidu chose to make peace with the actor-turned-politician by calling on him at his residence on Wednesday and seeking his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party-Telugu Desam Party ( alliance, particularly in Seemandhra where the TDP had pinned its hope for coming to power.

The same day, he also announced that R Krishnaiah, a prominent BC leader who is contesting on a TDP ticket from L B Nagar assembly constituency in the city, as the chief ministerial candidate for Telangana! Naidu hopes to regain lost ground through this twin strategy to shore up the party’s dwindling support base in both Seemandhra and Telangana.

Pawan Kalyan, miffed by Naidu for not putting up his producer friend P Vara Prasad from Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency, did not even make a mention of the TDP president or his party during the Modi meeting. In fact, he made it clear that he was on the dais only for the BJP prime ministerial candidate.

Naidu, who had an hour-long discussion with Pawan Kalyan, later told mediapersons that he had met the actor to seek his support for the alliance in both the regions. “Insofar as the campaign is concerned, it is up to Pawan Kalyan to decide,” he said.

The actor too seemed to have softened up after the meeting, stating that he would work for the success of both Modi and the BJP’s alliance partner in the two regions. “Only the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre and the TDP-BJP alliance in the two new states can ensure justice to all,” he said.

Naidu, announcing Krishnaiah’s name as the party’s chief ministerial candidate at a public meeting in Adilabad district, described the latter as a champion of the backward classes.

“He has been fighting for their cause for the past 40 years, and led over 6,000 agitations for women and weaker sections,” he said.

The TDP chief’s attempt to play the BC card through Krishnaiah, however, has not gone well with other senior and well-established leaders in the party. Krishnaiah joined the TDP only recently, and many in the party are unhappy over a newcomer being given such importance.

“It will create unrest among the existing partymen as a new entrant has been promoted in the midst of electioneering,” a senior TDP leader observed.

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