It has been just over a month since Telugu Desam Party president and leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly Nara Chandrababu Naidu broke down into tears in front of the media for the alleged humiliation meted out to him and his wife Nara Bhuvaneshwari by YSR Congress party MLAs in the House.
Naidu made every attempt to cash in on the incident and gain public sympathy.
He went on touring the flood-affected areas of Kadapa, Chittoor and Nellore districts, where he tried to raise his wife’s name and explain the insult he had to face from the ruling party for the sake of the people.
No doubt, the TDP chief got some sympathy in the initial days and the YSRC members had to go on the defensive.
Even Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi, who defected from the TDP to the YSRC, tendered an unconditional apology for his alleged remarks against Bhuvaneshwari.
Gradually, the people have forgotten the episode, as there were other issues like heavy rains and huge floods that wreaked havoc in the state, the Amaravati farmers’ rally and the counter rallies by the YSRC cadre.
But, Naidu wants to sustain the tempo of the alleged humiliation to him and his wife, so that the people would continue to recall it. So, a month after the incident, Bhuvaneshwari plunged into action to make public appearance.
Nearly a month after the floods ravaged the Rayalaseema, Bhuvaneshwari entered the scene on Monday in the name of distribution of cash compensation to the extent of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of those who died in the floods.
The TDP has identified 48 such bereaved families. In the name of NTR Trust, Bhuvaneshwari began her money distribution campaign in the temple town of Tirupati.
She visited the flood-ravaged areas of Tirupati and called on the affected families, before distributing money to the bereaved families.
She recalled how her father N T Rama Rao was very much concerned about the poor and how he used to help the poor.
“In his footsteps, the Nara family is distributing the money among the affected families,” she said.
Though Bhuvaneswari did not raise by political issues, it was evident that she made the public appearance only to show that only Nara family was concerned about them and that would fetch him a lot of political mileage to the TDP.
This is not the first time that Bhuvaneshwari came to the rescue of Naidu. During the Amaravati agitation as well, she begged for donations for the Save Amaravati movement. She even donated her platinum bangles for the cause.
If Bhuvaneshwari’s entry into the scene will help the TDP to regain its strength, it will be a big plus point for Naidu!