VIJAYAWADA: What will be the next move of Human Resource Development Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao? This is the key question in the TDP circles after Ganta skipped the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and spent the whole Wednesday at his residence in Visakhapatnam. Sources said that Ganta’s intention seems to be sending indications to the party leadership that he might desert the TDP.
Though party senior leader and Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu attended several events in Visakhapatnam district on Wednesday, Ganta did not take part in any of them.
TDP leadership is hoping that Ganta’s intentions might be clear on Thursday when Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visits Visakhapatnam for distributing house pattas to the beneficiaries and inaugurating some other development works.
Thus, the party leaders say if Ganta stays away from the programmes of Chief Minister, the air will become clear that he will not remain in the TDP. Followers of Ganta say that the minister was vexed with the party leadership for being silent whenever fellow leaders from the TDP fired salvos at him on different occasions. Be it the Vizag land scam or appointment of nominated posts in Visakhapatnam city, his rivals used to corner him and the TDP leadership never tried to avert such a propaganda against Ganta, they alleged.
Ganta believes that all the activities against him, including a survey report sating Ganta is going to lose from Bheemili constituency in the next elections, are at the behest of the party leadership. When contacted by TNIE, a senior leader of the TDP said Ganta, who had a group of followers, including some MLAs and an MP from Vizag district, is losing his hold over them. They say that it became evident with Anakapalle MP Muttamsetti Srinivas, who is very close to Ganta, expressing his interest to contest as an MLA from Bheemili constituency.
CM ropes in Narayana as troubleshooter
However, the Chief Minister is said to have roped in Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana, a close relative of Ganta, to pacify him. According to sources, minister Narayana is going to Visakhapatnam along with the Chief Minister on Thursday. Though Narayana is scheduled to leave for Nellore, the Chief Minister asked the former to accompany him.