At a time when YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy has been sweating it out on the streets with his marathon padayatra to bring the party to power in the next elections, some of his party MLAs are quietly lobbying with Telugu Desam Party leaders in their constituencies.
On Saturday, Shaik Mohamma Mustafa, YSRC MLA from Guntur (East) constituency, had an exclusive private meeting with TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, when he came to Guntur to inaugurate a corporate hospital.
What is surprising is that Mustafa came in the car of Narsaraopet MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao and met Naidu at the helipad to have the meeting.
Guntur MP Galla Jayadev was also present at the meeting. He told the media later that he had met Naidu as it was his courtesy to meet the chief minister when he came to his constituency.
The MLA said the chief minister had agreed to release a special grant of Rs 2 crore for the development of his constituency.
“I have no plans to defect into the TDP. I will remain in the YSRC,” Mustafa said.
But there are hardly any takers for his defence. No chief minister would simply grant Rs 2 crore funds to a rival party MLA and therefore, definitely, there is something fishy in the meeting.
In fact, Mustafa was the only YSRC MLA in the district who actively participated in the Janmabhoomi-Maa Vooru programme of the TDP government recently in several wards of his constituency. During this programme, he praised Naidu a lot.
“It is a very good programme to reach out to the people. I must appreciate the Chandrababu Naidu government for providing pensions and ration cards to various sections of people including old aged, disabled and women,” he said, adding that the programme should be held beyond politics.
Now, his exclusive meeting with Naidu clearly shows he has plans to shift loyalties sooner or later!
