The devastating Cyclone Titli wreaked havoc in Srikakulam in October and Telugu Desam Party government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had to incur the wrath of the people for failing to predict the magnitude of the cyclone and also for poor relief works.
Yet, Naidu government went on to claim that it had done tremendous rescue and relief work in the cyclone affected areas, though media has still been reporting about lack of assistance to the victims even now.
Not just making tall claims, the chief minister went on to spend huge amounts on publicity stating that he had become a saviour for the cyclone victims.
On Monday, power star and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, who happened to notice a huge advertisement on a bus which read: “Titli toofan badhithulaku Andhra Pradesh Prabhutvam Kondantha Anda” (Mountainous help from Andhra Pradesh government for Titli cyclone victims).”
It has several pictures of Naidu calling on the cyclone victims pasted all around the bus.
Naturally, the advertisement agitated Pawan, who personally visited the affected areas and talked to victims.
He made a sarcastic comment on his twitter handle: “TDP Govt, help for Titli victims is peanuts, but publicity!! .. the size of an Everest!!! This reminds me of a quote of Abraham Lincoln: “What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.”
He even attached a press clipping which stated that the cyclone victims were yet to get the relief and compensation, notwithstanding the tall claims by the Naidu government.
Even before the government took any relief measures, Naidu, known for his publicity mania, put up massive hoardings in Vijayawada and Amaravati areas on how he was personally supervising relief works in Srikakulam.
Some hoardings also showed that womenfolk in cyclone hit areas are offering “harathi” to Naidu to show their appreciation for his hard work. All for cheap publicity!