Modi-PK Meet, a curtain raiser to root out the TDP from AP politics

The scheduling one-to-one meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan is going to script a new chapter in the history of Andhra Pradesh politics. According to sources, the meet is nothing but a curtain raiser to root out Chandrababu Naidu led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the state politics.

The recent developments took place in the state for the past few weeks have given more strength to the above argument.

They said that, it is a well known fact that Pawan Kalyan is always in contact with BJP Andhra Pradesh affairs co-in-charge Sunil Deodhar and avoid meeting with state leaders including state president Somu Verraju. He showed his displeasure at state leaders on various occasions on their reluctance to take part in the protests taken by the JSP against the YSRCP government on various issues. He is also maintaining the same distance with the TDP in the state.

The sources said the saffron party is always in forefront to weaken the main opposition parties in various states to emerge as an alternative to the ruling party and it succeeded in this mission up to some extent in other states. Though the BJP didn't have single MLA in Andhra Pradesh, it has been waiting for an opportunity to settle scores with the TDP in the state.

They said the opportunity came in the form of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan meeting at Vijayawada after the JSP president and party cadre were faced humiliation in the hands of ruling party in Visakhapatnam.

According to the sources, on the direction of party bigwigs from Delhi, BJP leader Sunil Deodhar rushed to Vijayawada and camped there for few days after Chandrababu-Pawan Kalyan meeting created a sensation in AP political circles. He also informed the press persons that the alliance between the BJP and the JSP is intact in Andhra Pradesh.

The sources said that the closed door meeting between Sunil Deodhar and Pawan Kalyan has decided to swing in to action to root out the TDP from state politics after Deodhar assured the JSP president that he will arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi very soon.

In the mean time Pawan Kalyan has to take initiative to dominate the presence of the TDP to some extent in the areas where the yellow party is strong and he has to make his prominent people from his community to object the bond between the TDP and The JSP.

Pawan Kalyan took the issue of Ippatam village, where some houses were allegedly demolished in the road widening drive taken up the YSRCP government, to his advantage and visited the place well before the TDP leaders reached there. Though the village is a vote bank to the TDP, without mentioning his recent bond with the yellow party, the JSP president led a 'road show' in the village. According to the sources, in an attempt to gain the TDP's traditional vote bank in Ippatam, Pawan Kalyan the very next day announced financial assistance of Rs one lakh to each victim in the road widening drive. It is learnt that, though his announcement irked the ruling YSRCP leaders, at the same time the TDP leaders treat it as his intrusion to their bastion. The sources said that the TDP leaders who sensed trouble in the form of Pawan Kalyan in Ippatam especially in Guntur district to the party has tried to convey the same to the party supreme Chandrababu. As he is busy in giving new lease of life to the party in Telangana, he didn't lend an ear to their concerns.

Meanwhile some of the film personalities belonged to the JSP president's community has raised objection with Pawan Kalyan's meeting with Chandrababu at a community based get-to-gather in Hyderabad where large number of people attended. They also urged the JSP president not to sail with the TDP keeping the interests of his community in mind.

Satisfied with the all round performance of the JSP President in sidetracking the TDP in Ippatam incident and from community angle, the BJP bigwigs at Delhi informed Pawan Kalyan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the later's visit to Visakhapatnam on Friday night and asked him to make arrangements to stay at Vizag till Modi leaves the port city.

The highly reliable sources said that the BJP state leaders were kept in dark about the one-to-one meeting between Narendra Modi and Pawan Kalyan after they tasting bitter experience in Telangana where the alleged attempt to lure four ruling TRS MLAs which was failed.

Though the duo as well as party leaders from both sides may say that the meeting is customary in nature, but sources are of confident that the one-to-one meeting between Modi and Pawan Kalyan may script a new chapter in the History of Andhra Pradesh at the cost of Telugu Desam Party.