Telangana Is No-Go Zone for the Big Four

FORLORN PEOPLE?

They are touring Seemandhra and meeting T people in Hyderabad

Hyderabad:   Telangana is where all the action but the state's political leaders are giving the region a wide berth. As minister K Jana Reddy told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, ministers from Seemandhra are careful not to set foot in Telangana and ministers from the troubled region are not venturing anywhere into Seemandhra. Here's a look at the recent travel itineraries of the state's big leaders.

N Kiran Kumar Reddy, chief minister
Ever since the Sakala Janula Samme started on Sept. 13, the chief minister has been to Prakasam, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and other Seemandhra districts but not Telangana. Indeed, from the safe confines of his camp office in Begumpet, he has met farmers from Mahabubnagar and Adilabad districts and railed at the TJAC and TRS leaders. Though the Congress has fielded a candidate in the Banswada byelection, the chief minister is unlikely to canvass there.

N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP president
He claims Telangana is like one of his two eyes, but it's been more than two months since the TDP boss has been there. On the other hand, he has toured Prakasam, Nellore and Anantapur and will tour Guntur soon. He does have plans to tour Telangana but only when the heat of the Sakala Janula Samme has dissipated. In Hyderabad, Naidu confers with Telangana leaders either at home or at NTR Bhavan. His party is not contesting the Banswada byelection. So he won't have to go.

Botcha Satyanarayana, PCC president
The PCC president is a frequent traveller to Seemandhra but a rare bird in Telangana. He visited Anantapur on Tuesday and several Seemandhra districts in the last one month. He decided to field a candidate, S Srinivas Goud, in the Banswada byelection but he may not canavss for him. The Congress is sure of its defeat and has left the candidate to his fate.


YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSRC chief
The last time Jagan Mohan Reddy was seen in Telangana was when he tried to take his Odarpu show to Mahbubabad last year. But he forgot that the people remember him waving a Samaikyandhra flag in Parliament and had to pull out when his entourage received a hail of stones. Since then, he has diligently skirted Telangana, taking the O show to every district in Seemandhra. He has only one major declared supporter, Konda Surekha, in Telangana but the fact that his other friends won't be seen with him tells its own story.