Nellore BJP leaders scuttle Venkaiah visit

Nellore: In the wake of the strained Centre-state relations in connection with the ongoing tussle over Special Category Status (SCS), the visit of Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu to Nellore on March 24 for inaugurating a housing project in the city has been cancelled, reportedly due to directives from the party top brass.

Local leaders, who have been taking up activities for some time after Venkaiah Naidu has been elevated as the Vice-President, has freshly raised an issue before the party leadership that how a party senior leader, even though he is in the constitutional post, can share dais with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has been blaming the party for SCS and allocation of inadequate funds to the state after the bifurcation.

“We have reported the issue to our party national president Amit Shah about inappropriate decision of sharing dais with the Chief Minister since there would be no meaning when Naidu has been attacking the ruling BJP at the Centre.

They are close friends and Venkaiah Naidu will keep quiet once Chandrababu Naidu passes adverse comments against the Centre which sends a wrong message to public,” said a senior leader.  

In fact, elaborate arrangements have been made for the visit of the Vice-President and the Chief Minister for inauguration a housing project taken up by the state government at Janardhan Reddy Colony.  The visit schedule of Venkaiah Naidu was also released but has been cancelled with local leaders raising their resentment over the programme that would tarnish the image of party amid huge political turmoil on SCS row.

Reportedly, BJP senior leaders like Somu Veerraju, K Anjaneya Reddy, S Suresh Reddy and others opposed the visit of Venkaiah and wrote a detailed letter to party high command requesting it to consider party situation in the state in view of the Chief Minister openly criticising the ruling BJP at the Centre after breakup.

It may be recalled that a BJP district wing has been raising issue actively after Venkaiah Naidu has been chosen for the top post. They were staging protests for Dugarajapatnam, irrigation projects, employment for locals in industries and also started criticising the state government which was suppressed earlier due to close ties between Venkaiah Naidu and Chandrababu Naidu.

“Hereafter, Venkaiah Naidu can attend programmes for activities of his own trust and institutions rather sharing dais with other ruling party leaders. Otherwise, local leaders must face embarrassing situation when the two parties are at loggerheads. We also convinced the party high command to keep an eye on such mistakes,” added a senior leader.