It is an open secret that Eenadu group chairman Ch Ramoji Rao is a staunch supporter of Telugu Desam Party.
During the formation of the TDP by legendary Telugu actor N T Rama Rao in 1982, Ramoji Rao openly supported him and called upon the people to vote for his party.
There were reports that Eenadu reporters played a crucial role in the selection of candidates for the TDP, which was just eight months old then.
Though Ramoji claims that his Eenadu paper is politically neutral, he was referred to in the opposition party circles as “Raja Guru” as he continued to be the backroom advisor for the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu.
However, nobody has so far openly said in front of Ramoji that he was giving advices to NTR and Naidu.
On Tuesday, for the first time perhaps, senior leader and Vice President-elect M Venkaiah Naidu spilled the beans about Ramoji’s role in the TDP affairs.
Addressing a gathering, Venkaiah recalled how he had played a crucial role in the “save democracy” movement in protest against the dethroning of NTR by senior Congress leader Nadendla Bhaskar Rao. Within a month, NTR was back to power.
As a gratitude for fighting for his cause, NTR called up Venkaiah and asked him to join his cabinet.
“Even Ramoji Rao garu, who made a call on behalf of NTR and advised me to join the TDP and become a minister. But, I politely rejected it, saying I would not like to quit the BJP under any circumstances,” Venkaiah said.
It was an embarrassment to Ramoji Rao who was also on the same dais. But he never showed it on his face and remained calm.
