Whenever there is an issue of any issue of corruption or a criminal activity or even if it an an anti-party activity, involving any Telugu Desam Party leaders, the party office gives a leak to the media stating that party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has taken serious view of the issue and instructed the party leaders to take strict action against him.
But what happens ultimately is that Naidu doesn’t take any action against such party leaders and the issue gets conveniently buried over a period of time. The “seriousness” that appears in the press statements is hardly seen in the action.
We have seen how many times Naidu had become serious, according to media leaks, about the violation of party discipline by Tiruvuru TDP MLA Kolikapudi Srinivas Rao, but till now, no action was taken against him.
Now, following the reports of TDP MP from Eluru Putta Mahesh Kumar Yadav being caught in the Telangana police raid on a farmhouse at Moinabad in Hyderabad for drug consumption, and subsequently testing positive for drugs, a similar statement has come from the party office.
Following the emergence of allegations, TDP state president Palla Srinivas Rao issued a statement saying Naidu had taken the matter seriously and directed that the party issue a notice to Mahesh Kumar Yadav seeking an explanation over the incident.
The party high command also directed Mahesh to stay away from party activities until further clarity emerges. Naidu reportedly asked for a detailed report on the circumstances under which Mahesh was allegedly linked to the drugs case.
As usual, the chief minister reiterated that no one would be spared in incidents involving drugs and said the party would not allow the mistakes of individuals or leaders to bring disrepute to the organisation.
Interestingly, during the run-up to the assembly elections, Mahesh Kumar Yadav was present at the public meeting in Eluru, where Naidu had vowed to take strict action against narcotics, promising that drugs, ganja and related illegal activities would be eradicated within 100 days of coming to power.
Now, the question is whether Naidu will take any action against his own party MP, who tested positive for drug consumption. Any hesitation or an attempt to buy time in taking action will only cause further damage to the party.
“There is no need for waiting for any explanation before taking action, as Naidu can get the medical examination report from the Telangana police without any delay. He can straightaway suspect the MP, which will only enhance the party’s and the government’s image,” an analyst said.