Beleaguered TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is turning hapless with leader after the leader quitting the party.
He is tasting his own medicine of 2016-17, when he encouraged defections from the opposition YSR Congress and took 23 MLAs. He made four of those defectors Ministers ignoring the anti-defection law.
Now, after the humiliating defeat in the 2019 general elections, where his strength was brought down to the 23 members in a 175-member Assembly, Naidu is feeling the heat.
One of his fire-brand MLAs, Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, had quit the party and Assembly. He blamed his haplessness in helping himself and his own cadre from the cases.
He is currently facing some cases of fraudulent house site pattas that he had issued to over 12,000 people in his constituency just before the elections.
As the revenue officials noticed this fraud and filed the cases, he is caught in a Chintamaneni Prabhakar-like situation.
Sources say that chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy did not promise him any relief from the cases even if he defected to the ruling party after resigning to the Assembly.
However, Naidu is finding this situation to turn in his favour and had written to Vamsi promising to stand by him in the crisis created by the YSR Congress.
Naidu had made best use of the suicide of Kodela Sivaprasada Rao and is trying to make better use of the cases being filed against the TDP cadre for their crimes.
He is also looking at the possibility of using cases against Vamsi as an issue to fight and get political advantage.
Unfortunately for him, Vamsi refused to be played in the hands of Naidu and had replied that he is firm on his decision to quit the party and Assembly.
While Naidu feels that he is losing an opportunity to fight and get political advantage, Vamsi is not prepared to give him any chance.
Interestingly, Naidu is scheduled to start his three-day tour in Krishna district from October 29 and it is to be seen whether he would start it from Gannavaram or elsewhere!
