The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Chandrababu Naidu finds himself on a sticky wicket

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Chandrababu Naidu finds himself on a sticky wicket

K. Venkateshwarlu

Senior leaders leaving his Telugu Desam Party one by one

‘Mee Kosam’ Yatra enters 75th day
His detractors said he lacked credibility

HYDERABAD: Even as Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu completed the 75th day of his “Mee Kosam Yatra” on Saturday proving his detractors somewhat wrong, he seemed to find himself in a political logjam with seniors leaving him.

When he began his 150-day 10,000-km-long yatra, on a hot morning on April 21 from a Dalit colony near Tirupati, many had dismissed it as too ambitious to last long. His detractors had argued that having enjoyed power for nine years he did not have credibility, stakes, tenacity and issues such as his arch political rival, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, possessed when he took up his ‘padayatra’ as leader of the Opposition. Mr. Naidu rubbished their argument, as his ‘yatra’ trundled on for the 75th day, leaving one wondering if the ‘yatra’ would now become a must in any top politician’s itinerary in Andhra Pradesh if he were to bid for power. Rain or shine, braving spells of illness, he moved on. Barring a day’s break on July 3 when he had to attend United National Progressive Alliance’s meeting in New Delhi, he kept up his promise of not returning to Hyderabad till he completed his mission of fighting for people’s causes. No doubt, Mr. Naidu struck a chord among people. But just as he thought he was able to win back the sections that have moved away from his party, he had to face the embarrassment of seeing some of his senior colleagues desert him one by one. If it was Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao in Andhra, it was T. Devender Goud in Telangana and now the Bhuma couple in Rayalaseema.

His dreams of playing a key role in national politics have come a cropper with the Samajwadi Party all but moving away from UNPA.

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