The visit of cine actor Nandamuri Balakrishna to Gudivada has uncovered the groupism in Telugu Desam Party.
Neither his punchy dialogues, retorts, challenge, nor does pep talk seem to have gelled well with the cadre in right perspective. The conspicuous absence of Vijayawada (Urban) president Vallabhaneni Vamsi at the reception hosted by TDP Gudivada in-charge Raavi Venkateswara Rao raised many eye brows.
Most of the leaders, who attended the reception, were close to Mr. Balakrishna, younger son of TDP founder president N. T. Rama Rao, while Mr. Vamsi and his associates vow their allegiance to Rajya Sabha member Nandamuri Harikrishna, elder son of NTR.
Both Balakrishna and Harikrishna have been trying to assert themselves in the party.
The duo has their set of followers in the district. Gudivada MLA Kodali Venkateswara Rao (Nani), who quit the party, has close rapport with Mr. Harikrishna and his son Junior NTR. Likewise, Mr. Vamsi is also close to Junior NTR and is in good terms with Mr. Nani.
Earlier, the matter went to the court of TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu when Mr. Vamsi and TDP district president Devineni Umamaheswara Rao were at logger heads.
Mr. Rao and Mr. Vamsi have the backing of Mr. Balakrishna and Mr. Harikrishna respectively.
The TDP president patched up the differences then. The bickering came to fore again following the actor’s visit. The actor’s punchy dialogue – ‘Gudivada yevadabba sottu kaadu’ (Gudivada is not a property of one individual) after the reception – is also seen in a bad light. The leaders, citing drubbing of Mr. Harikrishna losing the Gudivada seat, feel that such talk was likely to boomerang.
Mr. Nani entered the fray in subsequent elections after the defeat of Mr. Harikrishna, they recall. It is being discussed, in party circles, that TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu had arranged a dialogue between Mr. Balakrishna and Mr. Vamsi for making a film.
The cine actor agreed to do a picture if Mr. Vamsi produced it.
The film proposal was mooted as there were reports that Mr. Vamsi will leave the party. The efforts have not reached a logical conclusion, but Mr. Vamsi’s absence indicates brewing differences in the party.
