Chandrababu’s Desperate Face-Saving Attempts

Kommineni Srinivasa Rao

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu is speaking in a rather illogical manner these days. One does not know whether to believe him or not most of the time. Perhaps, the delegates at Mahanadu may also have experienced the same feelings. This is because there seems to be no connection between what Chandrababu said at the Mahanadu last year. Worse, what he says now is quite the opposite.

Till very recently, Chandrababu was all praise for the BJP and claimed that the country was progressing under PM Narendra Modi. The AP CM had claimed on several occasions in the presence of PM Modi and Union Minister at that time, Venkaiah Naidu, that the state was making rapid strides thanks to the Centre. Can we forget the fact that even Venkaiah Naidu had then enthusiastically claimed that AP was marching ahead thanks to Chandrababu Naidu and PM Modi? Does Chandrababu think people would have forgotten what he said on the floor of the assembly? On several occasions, he had asserted that the opposition was trying to create a rift between the Centre and AP, betweeen the BJP and TDP. He had stated emphatically at that time that such tactics would not work stressing on his proximity to the ruling party at the Centre.

Didn't Chandrababu take the credit for the funds which the Centre released to AP? His U-turn now must have come as a shock even to TDP workers. In Mahanadu, Chandrababu doing a 360 degree turn, claimed that the Centre had not done anything for the state and that whatever the state had achieved, was entirely because of him. Chandrababu has already started claiming that the TDP victory in 2014 was not on account of BJP or Pawan Kalyan, but because of the trust people reposed in him. The interesting thing is—don't those present at the Mahanadu know the truth?

Chandrababu however, has a habit of persisting with his propaganda. This is a special trait. Didn't Chandrababu claim that demonetisation was his idea? Now, he says that the Centre's action led to a shortage of currency. Chandrababu's speech at the Mahanadu was peppered with a host of such claims and inconsistencies. Another significant aspect is that Chandrababu, has of late, stopped criticising the Congress. He had once slammed the Congress repeatedly saying that it had let down Andhras, characterised Sonia Gandhi as Italian mafia and attributed these factors for the total decline of the Congress. He would often criticise the Congress and YSRCP at the party's Mahanadu. This time around, however, he did not have a word of criticism for the Congress and instead, focused on the Karnataka results and defended the Congress-JD(S) alliance there. In the eyes of Chandrababu, this alliance symbolized national interests.

At HD Kumaraswamy's swearing-in, Chandrababu made every effort to cosy up to Rahul Gandhi and then followed this up with his speech in Mahanadu, where he did not have a word of criticism for the grand old party. Similarly, he did not mention TRS or KCR at all.

Chandrababu claimed at the Mahanadu that his government had fulfilled all the promises made at the time of elections. He had acted on the issue of reservations to Kapus, but it was the Centre which hindered its progress, he said. He even claimed that he had built Hyderabad. Chandrababu has no match when it comes to people who indulge in self-praise. However, Chandrababu also criticised PM Modi saying that he was incompetent and was a man of words and not action. Moreover, he also predicted that the BJP would not win in the next elections.

Chandrababu Naidu also predicted that regional parties would play a very key role in 2019. Meanwhile, BJP leaders have been saying that TDP doesn't stand a chance in the 2019 elections. Chandrababu himself seems to see the writing on the wall as far as elections in the AP context are concerned. Hence, he has now focused his attack on the BJP and PM Modi. Chandrababu seeks to take credit for all the good done by the governement and attribute failure to BJP. Whether he would succeed in his strategy is a big question. Does he think people are so gullible as to fall for his lies and fake promises?