There is a reason for the outburst as well as silence of political leaders. For, business interests are paramount for them, rather than their political affiliation. They don’t mind changing their attitude in tune with their business interests.
Senior Telugu Desam Party leader and former minister Ch Ayyanan Patrudu had been playing a key role in Visakhapatnam district politics.
He has been at loggerheads with another senior TDP leader and former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao due to caste and political differences.
After the TDP lost the elections to YSR Congress party in the last assembly elections, Ganta has become virtually silent, because he feared any confrontation with the YSRC government would affect his business interests. But Ayyanna had been vociferous in attacking the Jagan government.
However, sources say, Ayyanna too has decided to follow the path of Ganta towards the YSRC government hereafter. There are different reasons for this change in his stand.
Sources said Ayyanna had a huge extent of land of about 400 acres with a resort at Bhogapuram closer to the upcoming international airport.
When the TDP planned this airport, there were reports that Ganta had allegedly conspired to include this resort in the land allotted to the Bhogapuram airport.
Angered at this, Ayyanna took up the matter with party president and then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and managed to ensure that his 400 acres of land was kept out of the airport land purview. The issue was settled then.
Now, Visakhapatnam is all set to become the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh and Bhogapuram airport works are all set to commence. The government requires huge extent of lands and buildings for the offices in and around Visakhapatnam.
Ayyanna is said to be apprehensive that the Jagan government might revive the plan of acquiring his resort and surrounding lands in the name of development – a plan which was proposed by Ganta in the past.
Since it was the TDP government in the past, Ayyanna managed to protect his piece of land, thanks to support from Chandrababu Naidu. But since he has been confronting with the Jagan government, there is nothing he can do if the government takes over his land.
This is perhaps the reason why Ayyanna has decided to remain silent and go soft towards the Jagan government. This has led to the reports that Ayyanna might be shifting loyalties to the ruling party if not immediately, but at least in the near future.
A recent episode in Visakhapatnam has lent credence to these rumours. A few days ago, YSRC parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy took up massive tree plantation programme. This was his brainchild. Interestingly, the saplings for this tree plantation programme were sponsored by Ayyanna’s resort at Bhogapuram!
It clearly shows that Ayyanna is getting closer to Vijay Sai Reddy. So, the day is not far off when the former minister might jump the fence into the ruling party.
Since the YSRC has shut the doors on Ganta, the party leaders seem to have felt that if Ayyanna is brought into the YSRC, there would be a complete balance in the political equations in Visakhapatnam district!