Nara Chandrababu Naidu
By Shankar Raj*
Hyderabad: Jailed Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Nara Chandrababu’s son Nara Lokesh had a surprise meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, leading to speculations of a tie-up between the TDP, Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena in Telangana ahead of the Assembly elections.
The meeting, which has raised eyebrows, was arranged reportedly at the instance of Union Minister for Tourism and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy in a bid to send a “positive message” to the Andhra electorate in Telangana ahead of the Assembly polls.
The Andhra Pradesh BJP president D Purandeswari, who is also an aunt of Lokesh, was also present at the meeting. It is not clear yet if there will be any alliance between the Telugu Desam Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Telangana in the polls. Incidentally, in the 2018 Assembly elections in Telangana, the TDP could bag only 2 seats in the 199-member House.
Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest had its impact in Telangana especially in Hyderabad. Unprecedented protests from Information Technology (IT) employees condemning the arrest of Nara Chandrababu Naidu surprised many.
Sources said G Kishan Reddy took the initiative and arranged the meeting between Lokesh and Shah. This is the first meeting by Lokesh, who is also the General Secretary of the TDP, with the top BJP leadership after Naidu’s arrest a month ago.
After his arrest last month by the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore skill development ‘scam’, Chandrababu now is reportedly suffering from severe dehydration. His family fears for his life. Lokesh today posted on X: “There is an undeniable and immediate threat to Chandrababu Naidu’s life. He is being deliberately harmed. His safety is unquestionably at risk. CBN is facing a dire situation, dealing with mosquitoes, contaminated water, weight loss, infections, and allergies, all without access to timely medical assistance.”
Chandrababu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari, too, expressed her concerns about his his health in her post on X where she accused the AP government of not providing her husband with the timely medical care he “urgently” needs while he remains in prison.
Lokesh told the media that he did not discuss any politics with Shah. But, as the BJP presidents of both Telugu-speaking states were present in the meeting, speculation is rife that there could be some development on the alliance front in the near future.
*Shankar Raj is a former Editor of The New Indian Express, Karnataka and Kerala, and writes regularly on current affairs.
