It has been over seven months since the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition took charge in Andhra Pradesh, and so far, there have been no major differences among the alliance leaders—TDP chief and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena Party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and BJP state president Daggubati Purandeshwari.
However, some sections of the media have attempted to create a rift between Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, suggesting that Pawan Kalyan is acting independently on certain issues, allegedly causing displeasure to Naidu.
The latest speculation centers on why the Chief Minister is not taking Pawan Kalyan to the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, scheduled from January 20 to 24.
According to official reports, Naidu will be accompanied by ministers Nara Lokesh and T.G. Bharat, Chief Minister's Secretary Karthikeya Mishra, CM Security Officer Srinath Bandaru, Principal Secretary (Finance) S.S. Rawat, Industries Secretary Yuvraj, APEDB CEO Sai Kant Verma, and KADA PD Vikas Marmat.
Naidu and Lokesh are expected to meet CEOs of global companies at the WEF and present Andhra Pradesh’s resources and investment opportunities. Reports claim that Naidu is prioritizing his son Lokesh to provide him international exposure, while allegedly sidelining Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.
Sources in the government, however, have dismissed these claims, stating that Pawan Kalyan's portfolio of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development has little connection with industries or IT, which are the focus of the Davos meeting.
“Naidu is taking not just Lokesh, who handles IT, but also Bharat, the Industries Minister. If Pawan Kalyan held a relevant portfolio, he too would have been part of the delegation,” a source explained.
They also pointed out that Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is not taking his Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to Davos either, but is instead accompanied by IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu and officials from the relevant departments.