REPORTERS’ DIARY TDP’s ‘no deals for YSRCP leaders’ claim meets reality check

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had barely finished delivering his dramatic dialogue about not letting YSRCP leaders do business in Andhra Pradesh when—scene cut—his government rolled out a red carpet worth Rs 8,240 crore for a company linked to none other than Jana Reddy’s son, Jayaveer Kunduru. In this, another director is Keshav Reddy Mereddy. The State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) cleared the massive project for Aastha Green Energy Ventures in Kadapa and Annamaiah districts, leaving even TDP insiders whispering, “So, what happened to that ‘no business for rivals’ policy?” But the plot thickens. Among the companies still enjoying their golden run under the coalition government are Shirdi Sai Electricals and Indo Sol Solar Private Limited—firms that, according to TDP leaders themselves, raked in thousands of crores during Jagan’s reign. If that wasn’t spicy enough, Indo Sol, reportedly linked to Jagan’s close associate Vishweshwar Reddy, just bagged a whopping Rs58,469 crore project, approved under Chandrababu’s watch. Not only that—no location was mentioned for the project, but officials still managed to claim it would create 3,050 jobs. Classic! Now, the TDP cadre, who were fed the strict “No Business for YSRCP” mantra, are watching their top brass allocate mega projects to the same players they once slammed. And just when you think this movie can’t get more dramatic, the TDP social media team decided to add its own twist. SIPB might have approved investments worth Rs1,21,659 crore across ten companies, but there isn’t a single IT project in the mix. Yet, TDP’s official Facebook page conveniently showcased only Chandrababu and Nara Lokesh, as if they single-handedly sealed every deal, leaving Industries Minister TG Bharat and Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar out of the frame. Ministers are now grumbling, wondering if they are just background artists in the grand production called “TDP 2.0.” With this kind of screenplay, it looks like Andhra Pradesh politics is serving up more twists than a big-budget Tollywood blockbuster. The only question is—who’s directing the next scene?