Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been maintaining a lot of restraint despite provocative statements from leaders of his party’s ally Bharatiya Janata Party.
He is adopting a soft approach towards the BJP and is even pulling up his own party leaders who get into confrontation with the BJP leaders in their respective constituencies.
Reason: Naidu is apprehensive that the BJP leaders might rake up the cash-for-note case at the national level and damage his reputation. That is why, he has been trying to be goody-goody with the BJP leaders.
The other day, there was a confrontation between Endowments Minister Manikyal Rao, who happens to be from the BJP and West Godavari Zilla Parishad chairman Mullapudi Bapiraju, who is from the TDP, over a protocol issue at Tadepalligudem.
Apparently, Manikyal Rao expressed resentment over the local TDP leaders taking up various developmental works without inviting him though he is a minister and local MLA. Peeved at being ignored, Manikyal Rao threatened to resign from the cabinet.
However, Naidu pacified him and prevented him from taking the extreme step. He called Bapiraju and pulled him for ignoring the minister.
When Bapiraju tried to lodge a complaint against Manikyal Rao stating that the latter was making provocative statements against Naidu by raising cash-for-vote case, the Chief Minister asked the TDP leaders to keep quiet and not to bring such complaints before him.
