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An interesting disclosure by Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy about media baron late Ch Ramoji Rao evoked a hearty laugh from his Andhra Pradesh counterpart and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday,
Videos and images of Naidu and Revanth Reddy seating next to each other, chatting and laughing, triggered political buzz across both states.
Naidu — once Revanth Reddy’s political mentor — may not have imagined years ago that the young leader who once sat before him as a protégé would one day be a chief minister sitting alongside him at a national event.
During the event, Revanth Reddy narrated an interesting personal anecdote involving media baron Ramoji Rao, recalling the period after the 2009 elections when he and a few colleagues attempted to seek support for a ministerial position through Rao.
Ahead of the 2009 elections, the TDP-led “Mahakutami” (grand alliance) — comprising TDP, TRS (now BRS), CPI and CPM — believed it was on the verge of returning to power by defeating the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy–led Congress government.
The confidence stemmed from the political momentum the alliance thought it had created, especially after Congress had earlier relied heavily on TRS and Left parties during the 2004 elections to defeat the NDA.
Revanth Reddy, recalling the events of that period, said that after polling ended there was a month-long gap before the results were to be declared.
Believing the Mahakutami was heading for victory, he and three others sought an appointment with Ramoji Rao.
“Those days, there was a buzz in political and media circles outside that Ramoji wielded considerable influence over the TDP. Stories at that time suggested that Ramoji Rao would send a list of ministerial choices to Chandrababu Naidu, who would mark approvals with an “Yes-tick,” Revanth Reddy said.
Hoping to lobby through him, Revanth and three other MLAs approached Ramoji Rao after taking prior appointment.
“Ramoji Rao immediately understood our intention — that they had come to seek support for ministerial positions,” he said.
Instead of political assurances, the media baron hosted them for a pleasant lunch and firmly told them that there would be no lobbying and that “everything depends on Chandrababu Naidu.”
The anecdote drew laughter from the audience as Revanth narrated how he had assumed he was already close to becoming a minister back then.
As Revanth narrated the incident on stage, Chandrababu Naidu, seated beside him, was seen laughing, with the organisers and attendees enjoying the humorous exchange.
The story — dubbed the “ministerial lobbying tale via Ramoji” — has since attracted widespread attention online.
Later, Naidu also recalled that contrary to the public perception, Ramoji Rao had never approached him for any favour when he was the chief minister in the combined state or in the divided Andhra Pradesh.
