Amit Shah agreed to the meeting only after the dates of the Telangana polls were announced, and his own election rally in the state.
Nara Lokesh meeting with Amit Shah in the presence of Telangana BJP chief Kishan Reddy and AP BJP chief D Purandeswari. (X)
Was Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rendezvous with TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh in Delhi late night on Wednesday, 11 October, meant to send a signal to the Kamma voters in Telangana that the BJP was sympathetic to the plight of jailed party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu?
While Amit Shah reportedly met Nara Lokesh after Andhra Pradesh state BJP president Daggubati Purendeswari interceded on his behalf (she happens to be his maternal aunt), it is significant that the meeting came soon after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates of the Telangana Assembly polls.
Lokesh, who has mostly been in Delhi since 14 September — the day he met his father in custody — had tried to meet Amit Shah with the help of his party MPs all these days, but without much success.
The meeting finally came about after Amit Shah’s visit to Telangana on Monday for his first election rally, where he apparently made a realistic assessment of the BJP’s chances — which are not as bright as they were a few months ago — and came to the conclusion that the party needed play the Naidu card to woo Kammas in the state.
According to sources South First spoke to, Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy, who was in Hyderabad, was asked to rush to Delhi, apparently to send a message to voters sympathetic to TDP in Telangana that the saffron party was sympathetic to Naidu’s predicament.
Pictures of the meeting with Amit Shah that Lokesh posted on the social media platform X late Wednesday night was a clear giveaway of his eagerness to get on the BJP’s side.
After Naidu’s arrest, the TDP in Telangana, which was not a force to reckon with anyway, lay in tatters. The coast, thus, was left open for other parties, especially Congress that is now home to several former TDP leaders, to target the Kamma voters who owe allegiance to the Andhra party.
According to sources, the internal surveys commissioned by the BJP leadership in Delhi are understood to have not painted any bright picture for the party in Telangana. Amit Shah had apparently cross-checked the survey results with the state party leaders and is understood to have decided to have a go at Kamma voters.
According to a political analyst, the saffron party’s immediate objective is to gain strength in Telangana by cutting into the Congress votes, as its prospects seem to be much better than the BJP’s.
As Kammas claim that they could decide the outcome of the elections in about 40 segments out of 119 in the state, the BJP appears keen on getting them on its side by showing solidarity with Naidu. This would also spoil the grand old party’s chances of Kamma consolidation, which fits into the BJP’s national scheme of things of ensuring a “Congress-mukt Bharat“.
The Kammas in Telangana are at a crossroads, with the TDP remaining a nonentity in the state.
After the developments in Andhra Pradesh, the Kamma voters in Telangana are polarised against state Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, which translates into opposing Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who is considered to be good a friend of Jagan’s.
Against this backdrop, and with the Congress stock being on the rise, the Kammas have been urging the Congress to field more community candidates in return for their unqualified support.
With KCR nominating only five Kammas in the upcoming Assembly elections — P Ajay Kumar (Khammam), Nallamothu Bhaskar Rao (Miryalguda), Koneru Konappa (Sirpur), Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally), and Maganti Gopinath (Jubilee Hills) — the community believes it deserves better treatment.
They seem to have been hurt by the way Thummala Nageswara Rao was not considered for the Palair seat in Khammam, forcing him to join the Congress.
Recently, leaders of the Telangana Kammavari Rajakeeya Ikya Vedika met in Hyderabad and reportedly discussed how they were sidelined by the BRS administration. They decided to ask the Congress and the BJP to field at least 10 Kammas each in the ensuing Assembly elections.
After his meeting with Amit Shah, Lokesh issued a statement in which he said he had explained how vengeful the YSRCP government had become against Chandrababu Naidu. He said had brought to Amit Shah’s notice how Jagan Mohan Reddy was misusing the official machinery for his political ends. He said that Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to create problems for his family by prosecuting Naidu on trumped-up charges.
Interestingly, BJP State President in Andhra Pradesh Daggubati Purandeswari in her tweet made it categorically clear that the meeting was an indication that BJP had nothing to do with Naidu’s arrest.
Lokesh elaborately explained to Amit Shah ji about the vindictiveness of the state government and leaders at the helm of affairs. Now those who blame the Centre need to reply as to why Amit Shah ji would give an appointment to Lokesh if the BJP was behind the arrest! pic.twitter.com/tLUAXkPF4Z
— Daggubati Purandeswari 🇮🇳 (@PurandeswariBJP) October 11, 2023
According to Lokesh, Amit Shah felt that it was not appropriate to trouble a 73-year-old leader by registering so many cases against him. The Union home minister also inquired about Naidu’s health and said that he was closely monitoring developments in the state.
Chandrababu Naidu is in custody as the Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) is investigating his role in the allaged ₹370 crore skill development scam. The CID are also probing the former chief minister’s role in the Amaravati Inner Ring Road alignment scandal.
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