Chiru caught in mega dilemma - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad: The mega dilemma is likely to be resolved soon. Chiranjeevi, founder of Praja Rajyam Party which merged into the Congress, has been in two minds-whether to go to Delhi by accepting a Rajya Sabha ticket or to continue to represent Tirupati in the Assembly.

He is looking forward to a call from Ghulam Nabi Azad, the AICC General Secretary in charge of AP affairs, in this connection. The question has to be decided either way sooner than later as the schedule for the Rajya Sabha elections from the State has been announced.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is reportedly of the view that vacating Tirupati seat would be inviting trouble since it is difficult to win a bye-election after Chirajeevi's resignation on his elevation to the RS. But Chiranjeevi is understood to have expressed his desire to the high command to move to Delhi.

He was reportedly assured of a berth in the union cabinet within one month of RS elections. The erstwhile PRP leader has privately expressed disgust with the affairs in the State Congress and told his confidants that it is better to go to Delhi rather than remain sandwiched between the CM and the PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana.

In the early days of the PRP merger into the Congress, Chiranjeevi was supposed to be close to Botsa. But subsequent events have brought Chiranjeevi closer to Kiran Kumar Reddy with the latter deliberately making moves to win over the actor-turned-politician.

While Botsa was going about making claims to be an alternative leader who has a solid support base of one section of the people, the chief minister walked into Chiranjeevi's residence and spent more than an hour chatting.

Then Kiran took Chiranjeevi to Warangal district to see Sammakka-Saralakka jatara. They both appeared together a couple of times in public meetings. Undavelli Arun Kumar, Rajahmundry MP, was in the lobbies of the Assembly recently talking to Chiranjeevi , who later met the chief minister.

When asked by media persons if the RS ticket was discussed with the chief minister, Chiranjeevi replied that these things are decided in Delhi. But it is a fact that Chiranjeevi has moved closer to Kiran and farther from Botsa, who was making public claims about his intimacy with the former PRP leader.

Botsa seems to have lost his confidence and buoyancy with his failure to protect the ministers who were at loggerheads with the chief minister and sought the former's support.

While Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, the beleaguered excise minister, was being railed by the Opposition leader Chandrababu Naidu, Botsa, who was expected to stand by the minister, was not present in the Assembly.

Instead, he was found sitting in the lobby. It was the chief minister who went hammer and tongs at the Opposition leader in order to save his minister.

Same was the case with DL Ravindra Reddy, minister of health, who spoke carelessly about the chief minister and paid the price by losing two important portfolios.

The health minister took on the chief minister with the hope that the PCC president would support him. But that was not forthcoming. There is, however, an impression among the ministers now that it is better to make up with the chief minister than depending on Botsa.

Botsa lost his steam after the Congress candidates for the seven seats going for bye-elections this month were announced when the PCC chief was literally in the air on his way to Delhi.

It has sent out, wittingly or unwittingly, a clear signal to the fair-weather politicians of the Congress that Botsa is being sidelined. Political observers say that the PCC president has become impatient of late.

When the newly inducted minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao in his off the record chat with the media persons agreed with a jocular suggestion of a journalist that Botsa would make a good villain in a film to be produced, he was taken to task by the PCC president.

Even the journalist who reported the item was called and spoken to. He will be completing eight months in a couple of days as PCC president and he has not much to show.

He could not establish his authority and no leader is showing any respect to him. For instance, Ramireddy Damodar Reddy, former minister, has said it is time a Telangana person is made PCC president.

Anjan Kumar Yadav and Mukhesh Gowd from the city have indulged in public acrimony. All these developments have an impact on Botsa and make him unhappy.