HYDERABAD: Former Congress minister and late YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s close pal Konathala Ramakrishna’s decision to join the TDP appears to have proved that BJP is still suffering from post-Bihar poll debacle tremors in Andhra Pradesh. Following BJP’s recent decision to soften its stance on its ally, the TDP, the yellow party leadership has suddenly stepped up its efforts to woo leaders from the other parties, who are being persuaded by the BJP, into the TDP fold to consolidate its position in the reorganised AP. Proving this, Konathala Ramakrishna, who had openly dropped indications that he was planning to join the BJP, exactly a year ago, on Tuesday, amid dramatic turn of events, called on Chief Minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu along with former Congress MLA Gandi Babji, indicating his entry into the yellow party. Strengthening this, senior TDP minister from Visakhapatnam district, Ch Ayyannapatrudu, soon after the meeting of Konathala with Naidu, told mediapersons that the former YSRCP leader had decided to join the TDP, soon.
However, Konathala’s entry into the TDP might further widen the rift between the two TDP ministers from Visakhapatnam district -- Ayyannapatrudu and Ganta Srinivasa Rao, who have been engaged in a battle for supremacy in the district. As Konathala is an archrival of Ganta in Anakapalli segment in the district, several followers of Ganta are unable to digest this development. They suspect that in order to checkmate Ganta in the district, Ayyannapatrudu might have persuaded Naidu to induct Konathala into the TDP. As Konathala comes from a numerically strong Gavara community in Visakhapatnam, TDP leadership is hopeful that his joining, might further consolidate TDP’s position in North Andhra. Meanwhile, this development might give pinpricks to the BJP, which had earlier tried to persuade Konathala to join the saffron party, soon after his resignation from the YSRCP.
Much to the chagrin of the BJP, some of the senior politicos in the State, who earlier had planned to join the BJP, after severing their long association either with the Congress or the YSRCP, have now begun taking the membership of the ruling TDP, one after another. Another classic example for this is the recent joining of former Congress leaders from Nellore district- Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and Anam Vivekananda Reddy. Interestingly, exactly a year ago, TDP and BJP had competed in engineering defections from the Congress and the YSRCP to their respective parties. During November and December last year, BJP State leadership had, at the behest of the Central leadership, reportedly held talks with Konathala, Anam brothers, YSRCP MLA C Adinarayana Reddy (Jammalamadugu) and some other Congress leaders to join their party. At one point of time, Adinarayana Reddy had dropped hints that he would be joining the BJP. But, now, he too is planning to join the TDP.