After keeping away from Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for quite some time, his brother-in-law and TDP politburo member Nandamuri Harikrishna is said to be once again to come closer to Naidu.
Reason: Harikrishna, son of party founder-president and legendary actor N T Rama Rao, wants to enjoy some respectable position in the party, since he might not aspire for a lengthy political life because of his ill-health.
There were reports sometime back that Naidu would nominate him as the chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board, a post which has been lying vacant for quite some time.
However, when Harikrishna met Naidu recently, the latter suddenly offered him the Rajya Sabha membership, much to the pleasant surprise of the former. But, there was a condition.
Naidu asked him to convince his son Junior N T Rama Rao, the most popular hero in Tollywood, to campaign for the TDP in the next elections. If Harikrishna can do this, he will be definitely given Rajya Sabha seat.
Harikrishna knows this is easier said than done. No doubt, Junior NTR had campaigned for the TDP in 2009 elections, but he had high political ambitions then.
Subsequently, when Naidu started promoting his own son Nara Lokesh, Junior NTR realised that Naidu has just used and thrown him. Later, he gradually distanced himself from the party.
So, when Harikrishna asked his son to return to the TDP fold, Jr NTR flatly refused saying there was no question of campaigning for the party in the next elections.
“At the most, I can give a statement extending my support to the TDP, since it was founded by legend NTR,” he reportedly told his father.
It does mean Harkrishna’s chances of going to RS have been shattered. After all, what additional benefit Naidu will get if he gives RS seat to Harikrishna?
