Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is more disturbed these days, not because of the massive response from people to his political opponent Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, president of YSR Congress party, for the latter’s marathon padayata.
It is because of the role being played by YSRC Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy in Delhi. For the last few weeks, it is Sai Reddy, rather than Jagan, who has been hogging all the limelight in the media.
He has been actively mobilising the support to his party and also undertaking intense lobbying with the powers-that-be.
His proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is causing more jitters to Naidu, because if Jagan and Sai Reddy can come out of the CBI cases unscathed, it would be huge advantage to the YSR Congress party before the 2019 elections.
That is precisely why Naidu and the TDP leaders have been specifically targeting Sai Reddy for doing rounds in the corridors of the PMO.
Naidu even went to the extent of accusing the PMO of harbouring criminals like Sai Reddy. Not a single day passes with Naidu taking the name of Sai Reddy inside and outside the assembly.
The latest controversy over the MP allegedly touching the feet of the Prime Minister is part of Naidu’s strategy to put the YSRC on the defensive.
However, it has boomeranged on the party with Sai Reddy himself coming forward for the challenge by asking for the footage of the Rajya Sabha proceedings!
