Spokespersons of a party need to have some brains. They are the face of the party and the ones who uphold its pride, defending it with logic and argument rather than blind worship.
Today’s spokespersons of regional parties are, in many cases, are appearing to be not so capable.
For example, TDP spokesperson Deepak Reddy brought embarrassment to the party when he was questioned by Arnab Goswami on national media and got completely trolled for his reply.
When he said, “Lokesh is taking care of the civil aviation issue,” Arnab rightly asked what business Lokesh had with civil aviation, to which Deepak Reddy fumbled without a proper answer.
The next day, Pattabhi went as the party’s “savior” to face Arnab Goswami, and again he was cornered. To the public, it appeared as if Pattabhi did not even understand Arnab’s question in English.
It is not just the TDP, even the YCP has similar problems with their spokespersons. Whoever they are, they show their talent only in local media and cannot face tough and straightforward questions from national journalists.
The media in Andhra Pradesh is divided into “yellow media” and “blue media.” TDP spokespersons sit only in yellow media studios and shout about the YCP; they never get a chance to face real, neutral media.
Similarly, YCP spokespersons sit only in blue media and scream about Chandrababu and other TDP leaders, and so they too never get exposed to national scrutiny.
The real talent or ignorance or inefficiency of these spokespersons becomes visible only when they are exposed to national media.
The biggest issue with spokespersons of local parties is that they cannot survive without constantly taking the names of their supreme leaders.
Even when they have their own ideas, they must say that their “supreme heads” are taking care of everything. Whether it is Chandrababu or Lokesh, TDP spokespersons must repeatedly mention their names.
The same goes for YCP spokespersons, who must invoke Jagan Mohan Reddy whenever they face the media.
Local party heads cannot digest someone in their party growing through individual talent and gaining wider recognition. They expect that even knowledgeable party members must remain their subordinates forever, and any talent they show must be credited to the top leadership.
When Arnab asked, “What is your leader doing as the civil aviation minister?” Deepak Reddy could have simply replied, “He comes under Narendra Modi’s cabinet, and as a TDP spokesperson I cannot comment on that.”
How nice that would have been. Instead, he said, “Our leader Nara Lokesh has set up a war room to monitor the aviation's Indigo issue.”
This shocked Arnab, who asked, “In what capacity does Nara Lokesh do that job?”.
Now, here is an inside story that some TDP insiders are claiming. According to insiders, it is said that Deepak Reddy’s statement to national media, claiming that Minister Nara Lokesh is monitoring the civil aviation portfolio, is actually true.
There is discussion in Delhi that Rammohan Naidu’s political rise may, in the future, become an obstacle to Lokesh, and this is causing concern among Lokesh’s followers.
That is why, they say, Lokesh is overseeing the civil aviation ministry’s matters, and there is speculation that an internal conspiracy is underway to portray the Union Minister as incompetent.
There is talk among MPs in Delhi that Lokesh’s own coterie surrounds Rammohan Naidu. Whether this is true or not is something only TDP leaders know.
Many agree with the opinion that some invisible forces within the TDP cannot digest Ram Mohan Naidu’s political growth. Especially when someone begins to rise to a level comparable to the party heir, attempts to suppress are guaranteed.
We will have to wait and see where these political maneuvers lead and how they affect each politician’s career.