Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party supremo Chandrababu Naidu announced the new governing body of the coveted Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board which runs the largest Hindu temple and abode of Lord Venkateswara Swamy after much deliberation and consideration. As expected, the much awaited announcement of the board received mixed reactions not just from the political opponents but also from Naidu’s coalition partners.
Particularly, the supporters of Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena which has been a key player of the NDA government in the state are not pleased with the composition of the board which constitutes 23 members and one chairman. As speculated in the media, TV 5 chief BR Naidu was appointed as the chairman and 11 prominent representatives from AP and 12 from non-local category are appointed for the board.
Out of the 12 members appointed from Andhra Pradesh, there is no single leader or representative of Janasena party. Naidu cleverly appointed two Janasena leaders from Telangana category and Pawan Kalyan’s close friend and Tollywood Art director Anand Sai out of the five members from Telangana. This move came as a huge disappointment for Janasena supporters because they will expecting more recognition in the esteemed TTD board.
It is a known fact that many followers of Janasena didn’t agree with Pawan Kalyan’s decision to seek just 21 seats out of 175 in the assembly elections as part of alliance with TDP and BJP. After the election results, Janasena expected a good chunk of cabinet berths excluding Pawan Kalyan’s post. Unfortunately, they managed to get only a couple of portfolios.
So, there were speculations that Pawan Kalyan’s brother Naga Babu might be honoured with the TTD board chairman and Trivikram Srinivas may also get chance as a member given his association with Pawan Kalyan. However, none of these rumours did turn out to be true.
Janasena supporters are deeply upset with the way Pawan Kalyan is simply toeing the line with Naidu’s decisions. They feel that Janasena leaders from Andhra Pradesh should have been given preference in the board as the party has got no relevance in Telangana politics at present and the decision to choose two leaders from that state appears to be just a tactic as part of appeasement politics.
Many of them are openly expressing their dissent with Pawan Kalyan’s way of politics. Janasena supporters feel that Pawan might be happy because his close friend Anand Sai is rewarded with the position of board member but they are not content with the coldness meted out to the party.