VIJAYAWADA: Even as the silence of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. over the arrest of TDP supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has left social media platforms and political circles abuzz with speculation, the yellow party on Friday maintained that it has not requested any individual to respond to the matter or express solidarity with their leader.
The grandson of former chief minister and TDP founder NT Rama Rao, Jr. NTR had campaigned for Naidu in 2009 but later withdrew from political life and preferred to focus on his film career.
Following the arrest of Naidu for his alleged role in the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) scam, various parties such as the National Conference and Trinamool Congress, and popular figures, including superstar Rajinikanth, condemned the 73-year-old’s arrest.
BJP AP president D Purandeswari also found fault with the manner in which Naidu was arrested. As soon as the Nara scion, Lokesh, joined the TDP, there were rumours about the party sidelining Jr NTR.“Jr NTR’s silence over Naidu’s arrest has given credence to the reported rift between the actor and the party chief,” a TDP leader said.
Following the TDP’s 2019 poll debacle, a section of the party felt that the actor should foray into active politics as he carries the legacy of NT Rama Rao. There were even times when Naidu faced embarrassing moments during his roadshows and public meetings when a few people, allegedly party workers, carried banners projecting Jr NTR as the CM.
In the recent past, Jr NTR had condemned the ‘abusive’ remarks against Naidu’s wife Nara Bhuvaneswari.
The actor has laid low during political gatherings as well. He did not even attend the event held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to unveil the commemorative Rs 100 coin on NTR.
Responding to a query on the issue, TDP State unit president K Atchannaidu felt that it would be better if the question was posed to Jr NTR. He quickly added, “We are not requesting people to respond to Naidu’s arrest. They are voluntarily coming forward.”Meanwhile, the TDP on Friday launched a website, apskilldevelopmenttruth.com, in an attempt to tell the people about “the facts on the Skill Development Corporation project.”
