Konathala Ramakrishna has long enjoyed a clean image in undivided Visakhapatnam district.
Known as a senior, controversy-free leader with no corruption tag, his political journey has been eventful.
He entered politics with a bang, winning the Anakapalli MP seat in 1989 by just nine votes and creating a Guinness record.
As a Congress MP, he was active in Parliament and grew politically alongside veteran leader Dronamraju Satyanarayana.
After two terms as MP, Konathala won as an MLA in 2004 and served as a powerful minister in the YSR government.
For five years, he was the lone minister from Visakhapatnam district and was considered close to YSR. After YSR’s death, his political path slowed, but he made a comeback in 2024 by winning as a Jana Sena MLA.
Now, Konathala is back in the spotlight for a different reason.
During the ongoing Assembly Budget Session, his speech praising the Chandrababu Naidu family went viral.
The tone and extent of his praise surprised many and sparked a debate on social media. Observers are asking whether such public admiration was really needed.
Konathala has always been seen as someone who values self-respect over power and began his career with a strong anti-TDP stance.
While appreciating good work by the coalition government is natural, critics feel that going out of the way to praise the Nara family is unusual.
What has raised eyebrows is that Konathala, in his long political career, was never known for this kind of praise politics. That’s why one question is echoing everywhere now: Why Konathala like this?
Whether this signals a strategic shift or something more remains to be seen.
