Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu might have been successfully tackling the Kapu agitation for the last two years after the infamous Tuni incident, but this time the agitation is going to be far more serious, according to political observers.
The proposed padayatra of Kapu strongman Mudragada Padmanabham is going to evoke a strong reaction from the Kapus this time, as the Naidu government has been dodging on implementation of Kapu reservations.
With just less than two years left for the assembly elections, the Naidu government cannot continue to hoodwink the Kapus, who have been simmering with the discontent.
Any attempt to crush the Mudragada agitation with police force, as the government had done in the past would prove counterproductive for Naidu and the TDP.
Naidu knows he cannot continue to ignore Kapus anymore because their votes would be crucial in the next elections.
So, he cannot afford to crush the Mudragada padayatra with iron hand.
So, there is an uneasy calm in the TDP camp as it knows if Mudragada is allowed to take up padayatra, he would galvanise the anti-establishment forces.
And if the padayatra is scuttled with police force, it might lead to violence and cause further more damage to the party.
So, the best option before Naidu is to get the report from Manjunatha commission at the earliest and make an announcement on Kapu reservations, so that it can neutralise Mudragada impact at least to some extent.
