By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad
Telugu Desam Supremo Chandrababu Naidu’s asides replete with allegations of watching x-rated pornographic movies by inmates in prisons, especially in Chanchalguda central prison, need not be covered-up as a general observation. It doesn’t pass muster that way. The remarks of Naidu are absurd and don’t augur well for his tall stature.
It is surely unbecoming of a person who served as the Chief Minister of the State for the longest term, either by design or by default. Naidu who is re-elected for a ninth time (18 years) the president of the Telugu Desam Party, which emerged on the Indian political arena as a regional party with a national outlook and also as a historic necessity at that point in time, should maintain restraint.
He is not known for lose talk. But, he is unable to control his frustration and began blurting out slanderous comments against YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s family.
Naidu used to posture himself as a very matured and dignified politician. People who reaped the benefits of economic liberalization lived and continue to live under the false impression that he was their benefactor and credit him to their well-being. They elevate him as a leader with national stature.
Of course, there is no slighting of his contribution to the State. Every politician who scaled up to the position of the Chief Minister does some good to people in their tenure and Naidu is no exception.
But his self-proclaimed decency in politics doesn’t seem to have ingrained in his own blood and thought process. The remark of blue films (are being watched by inmates in prison) exposed his shallowness and unbridled frustration. It is not beyond anybody’s knowledge that he saw a potential threat in YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
The TDP cadres and die-hard supporters of Naidu may deride the YSRC for retorting Naidu’s remarks by “attributing the observations to themselves and their leader”. But can Naidu assert that these remarks were not aimed at YS Jaganmohan Reddy? A gesture of providing a clarification that his remarks were not to target Jagan would surely perk up Naidu’s stock in the public eye.
But, knowing Naidu and his levels of frustration ever since YSR democratically trampled the TDP under the feet — not once but twice, and the proclivity of throwing mud on the YSR’s family, it would be too much to expect from the TDP chief to make a course correction.
If Naidu comes up with a clarification on his “blue remarks”, surely the YSRC can be pressured to direct party leader Gattu Ramachandra Rao to withdraw his remarks, as they too were in a bad taste. Unfortunately, the game of one-upmanship of politicos, media is playing into the hands of the political parties and demonstrating their spite and malice against one side or the other, mostly in favour of the TDP and against the YSR Congress and Jagan.
Naidu, who is trying to put up a brave front and asserting that the TDP is going to romp home with a thumping margin, is unable to conceal his fear of losing the election and the possible electoral gains by the YSR Congress. Though he is flying off the handle against the YSRC at the drop of a hat, the onlookers are not gullible to get ensnared in the trap.
After having walked 2,800-odd km as part of his padayatra, nobody would expect Naidu to blabber the way he did on Wednesday. For, YSR, who used to be emotionally charged-up all the time, learnt the trick of restraint after undertaking his ‘praja prasthanam’ padayatra. Naidu, who walked nearly double the distance of what YSR trekked, is expected to demonstrate double the maturity of his bete noire. But that doesn’t seem to be so.
In a way, it was a journey in the reverse direction to the TDP boss whose dignity used to overflow through his silence as he matured like a vintage wine during his uniterrupted tenure in the office of the Chief Minister for eight years, eight months and 13 days.
If his observations reek of foul language and wild allegations, they naturally would reflect in the ballot. Chandrababu Naidu, who acted like the CEO of the State, and “turned the wheel” thrice at the Centre, should work with a single-point agenda of rowing his party to the shores of glory and not drive it to witness an end that is gory.
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