Telugu actor Allu Arjun leaves the state-run Gandhi Hospital after medical check up, in Hyderabad, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (PTI Photo)
Jan 12, 2025 09:38 IST First published on: Jan 12, 2025 at 07:15 IST
Too Reddy to boss
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s popularity has plummeted ever since he adopted an unnecessarily harsh approach towards superstar Allu Arjun. Despite Arjun’s protests that he was not personally involved in the stampede at the mega-hit Pushpa 2 screening, in which a woman lost her life, Reddy threw the rule book at the popular actor, including putting him in jail overnight. When a delegation from the film industry called on the CM, Reddy kept them waiting and later announced that he was withdrawing permission for benefit shows. Speculation is rife about the reason behind the CM’s politically damaging approach. Some view it as an ego tussle. Reddy was infuriated that Arjun snubbed him, skipping a proposed meeting with the CM at the airport. The actor also fumbled in recalling Reddy’s full name at a televised function. Others ascribe the undeclared war to traditional caste rivalries between Kapus and Reddys. Another theory is that Reddy suspects Arjun of harbouring political ambitions, since he campaigned last year for a friend who was a BRS candidate. The CM’s official position is that no one is above the law. Reddy’s own party members whisper that his aim is to teach the film industry a lesson. He makes it a point to demonstrate that he considers himself the unchallenged boss of the state. For instance, during the recent Parliament session, he summoned all Congress MPs from Telangana to his Delhi residence, but did not show up and never apologised. His administration demolished actor Nagarjuna’s huge convention hall in Hyderabad.
No CM candidates
All three major parties in the forthcoming Delhi elections are at a disadvantage in not being able to project a chief ministerial face. The BJP and Congress have failed to build a dynamic local leadership in the Capital and are depending largely on their high commands and political heavyweights from outside to woo voters. Ironically, although Arvind Kejriwal is generally perceived as AAP’s CM face, since an apex court order specifically bars him from signing official files or entering the CM’s office, he cannot declare himself as a candidate. The AAP has, perforce, projected a double-engine sarkar of Kejriwal and CM Atishi. The unspoken message is that the faithful aide will carry out her boss’s bidding.
A final journey
While the Congress and the BJP competed with each other, trying to win the perception battle in paying kudos to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it was noticeable that Singh’s family kept a dignified distance from the debate on whether Nigambodh Ghat was a suitable venue for the funeral and which space should be allocated for Singh’s memorial.
There was no love lost between Singh and the BJP in his lifetime. Similarly, the former PM was deeply hurt when Rahul Gandhi publicly humiliated him by terming as “complete nonsense” his government’s Ordinance to save convicted legislators from immediate disqualification. Rahul’s televised rebuke came hours before Singh was to meet then US President Barack Obama in Washington DC in 2013. Some family members wanted Singh to resign immediately. Singh refrained, because he reasoned that doing so would reflect poorly on the country as he was abroad. The real reason for the Congress’s ire during the Nigambodh Ghat ceremony was that the media, except the government-controlled Doordarshan, was kept out of the ghat. Consequently, Prime Minister Modi and his entourage hogged the limelight and not Rahul. Ironically, the Congress missed a golden opportunity to claim proprietorship of Singh’s legacy by banning the media during the hours his body was kept in state at the Congress office. Incidentally, after the ashes were collected from the funeral pyre, the Singh family had a small, private religious ceremony at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, but Rahul could not attend as he had already flown off to Vietnam.
Cash cow corp
The Congress in Maharashtra is at odds with both its MVA allies praising Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. A big blow for the Congress is that Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena plans to fight the Mumbai civic elections on its own steam. While Thackeray is not averse to eventually joining the Mahayuti, no patch-up may be possible before the BMC polls. For Thackeray, the BMC elections could be crucial to remain relevant. If he has to rejoin forces with the BJP, it should be from a position of strength since BMC is considered the UBT Sena’s stronghold, not Shinde Sena’s. Amit Shah is equally keen to seize control of Asia’s richest municipality, a cash cow that has always eluded the BJP in the past. Elections to the BMC were due in March 2022, but have been repeatedly postponed because of a case before the court.
Discover the Benefits of Our Subscription!
Stay informed with access to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with trusted, accurate reporting.
Make smarter decisions with insights that matter.
Choose your subscription package
