The Chandrababu Naidu government’s decision to stop Kapu strongman Mudragada Padmanabham’s padayatra from November 15 on the pretext of law and order maintenance has drawn flak from various quarters.
It was described as the most anti-democratic move and political analysts say it might even turn out to be counter-productive for Naidu.
They remind that Naidu himself had undertaken marathon padayatra in 2013 and it fetched him considerable political mileage. Had the then government stopped him from going ahead with the padayatra, what would have been his fate, argue these observers.
Now the question is whether Naidu would take a similar decision if YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy also takes up the padayatra.
It may be mentioned that Jagan is also contemplating padayatra after the next summer to build up the public opinion on special category status and also question the Naidu government on non-implementation of election promises.
Naidu cannot say no to Jagan, since it would result in a lot of criticism because he had taken up similar padayatra when he was in the Opposition. If he gives permission to Jagan, then the question will arise as to why he had denied the opportunity to Mudragada and that would cause unrest among the Kapus. In any case, Naidu is in trouble!
