Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, has extended an invitation to his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy’s residence. Despite their long history together, the meeting between the NDA Chief Minister and his Congress colleague has generated a lot of interest in the political circles. There is a lot of conjecture on the potential joint ventures between the two states, as shown by Mr. Naidu’s correspondence with the Chief Minister of Telangana.
“It has been 10 years since bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. There have been multiple discussions concerning issues arising from the Reorganization Act. which hold significant implications for the welfare and advancement of our states. It is imperative that we address these issues amicably with utmost diligence and resolve. In light of this, I propose that we meet at your place on 6′ July. Saturday afternoon,” Mr Naidu wrote to Mr Reddy.
“I firmly believe that a face-to-face meeting will provide us with the opportunity to engage comprehensively on these critical issues and collaborate effectively towards achieving mutually beneficial solutions for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I am confident that our deliberations will lead to productive outcomes,” the letter added.
With the 10-year period for sharing Hyderabad as a joint capital coming to an end, the division of Telangana has put Andhra Pradesh—and its chief minister—into a difficult situation.
As of now, Andhra Pradesh does not have a state capital. The Amaravati project of Mr Naidu has been in limbo for the past five years due to supply line disruptions caused by his predecessor, Jagan Mohan Reddy.
More significantly, Mr. Naidu now has a chance to increase his influence in the adjoining state of Telangana as a result of the demise of K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi. This is too great an opportunity to miss for the TDP president, who has been working for the past ten years to build his party in the newly created state that was created out of Andhra Pradesh.
According to Mr. Reddy, it puts himself in a politically awkward situation. However, the two leaders know each other too well for that. Mr. Reddy was a close aide to Mr. Naidu and a member of the Telugu Desam Party before to joining the Congress.
Revanth Reddy was jailed in 2015 for his alleged role as Mr. Naidu’s emissary asking a nominated assembly member to vote in favour of the TDP during the note-for-vote fraud. Mr. Reddy was allegedly seen on camera promising a member ₹ 50 lakh.
Furthermore, Mr. Reddy is developing a reputation for making friends from opposing political parties. During his latest week-long trip to Delhi, he had meetings with several BJP heavyweights, including JP Nadda, the head of the party. Mr. Reddy clarified that he needs to foster positive relations with everyone in order to help his state prosper when questions were raised over his cordial greeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state in March and his use of the term “Bada bhai (elder brother)”.
