In an interesting development, the Centre has invited Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event to be held at Bhimavaram in Narasapuram district on July 4.
On behalf of the Centre, Union minister for tourism and culture G Kishan Reddy wrote a letter to Naidu requesting him to attend the 125th birth anniversary of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju district being held at Bhimavaram town.
The Prime Minister is attending the event and he will be unveiling the statue of Alluri.
Kishan Reddy solicited Naidu’s presence at the event, where tributes would be paid to Alluri Sitarama Raju, as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
He said Modi would address a public meeting at Pedamiram and unveiling the statue of Sri Alluri Sitarama Raju in ASR Nagar, Bhimavaram.
“I would request your presence in Bhimavaram on July 4 as a part of the Prime Minister's programme,” he said.
According to the TDP sources, Kishan Reddy sent the official invitation to Naidu to attend the event and also personally called up Naidu to inform the same.
However, it is not clear whether Naidu is part of the delegates to share the dais with Modi at Bhimavaram.
In any case, TDP sources said, Naidu won’t be attending the event for obvious reasons – he doesn’t want to share the dais with YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
And even if he is not called on the dais, he doesn’t want to sit among the audiences, when his rival is sitting on the dais.
So, Naidu has decided to depute his deputy floor leader in the assembly and TDP Andhra unit president K Atchannaidu to attend the Bhimavaram event, party sources said.
Interestingly, there is no confirmation as to whether Kishan Reddy had invited power star and Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan also the Bhimavaram event, though he had invited the latter’s brother and former Union minister K Chiranjeevi.
Pawan Kalyan had lost the assembly elections from Bhimavaram in 2019 and is now an alliance partner of BJP in Andhra.