The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Naidu’s man management skills under scrutiny

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 04, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Naidu’s man management skills under scrutiny

K. Venkateshwarlu

TDP chief found unable to keep his flock of seniors intact

HYDERABAD: The man management skills of Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu have come under scrutiny once again with the latest desertion by a senior legislator Kimidi Kala Venkat Rao, who was with the party since its inception.

For yet another time, Mr. Naidu and his trouble-shooters failed to prevent a top leader of north coastal Andhra from joining the exodus that was set off by former minister K. Vidyadhar Rao. Several other seniors like T. Devender Goud, Bhuma Nagi Reddy and his wife, Shobha, Tammineni Sitaram and Ganta Srinivas Rao followed suit. Barring Mr. Goud, all others including Mr. Venkat Rao switched over to Praja Rajyam.

As in the past, the party leadership sought to downplay Mr. Venkat Rao’s resignation, attributing it to his insecurity over losing his Vunukuru constituency in the delimitation exercise and emerging caste equations. But nagging questions persist on why Mr. Naidu, for all his record of leadership qualities and political acumen, was unable to keep his flock of seniors intact, when elections are round the corner. Or is it that they are having doubts over his vote- catching ability?

A section of the party, however, trace it Mr. Naidu’s strategy of playing one leader against another.

For years now, he had been consciously promoting K. Yerran Naidu in north coastal Andhra to the discomfiture of others, who had contributed equally or more to the party’s growth in the region. Although Mr. Yerran Naidu is recognised as an articulate leader and TDP’s voice in New Delhi, this section feels he had become somewhat overbearing of late.

Arrogance

No wonder, both Mr. Seetharam and Mr. Venkat Rao have cited Mr. Yerran Naidu’s arrogance and the “coterie” around Mr. Chandrababu Naidu as reasons for leaving the party.

The charge against the top leadership is that it fails to anticipate trouble and address the concerns of the aggrieved sections in time.

Party sources concede that Mr. Chandrababu Naidu faces a problem in promoting second-rung leadership in each region and that he would have to rework his strategy keeping in mind interests of all groups.

Otherwise, they admit that this perception of one senior getting importance over others could be increasingly used as a ruse to move over to greener pastures.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh