Sulking MP Ashok, skips politburo meet

• Even the MP skipped the Bhogapuram International Airport foundation stone laying ceremony, where Chief Minister participated recently in the district
• Inside sources say that the MP is not happy with the recent decisions taken by the party high command

Vizianagaram: The recent incidents happened in the State has pushed the TDP into dilemma. MLAs M Mallikarjuna Reddy, Amanchi Krishna Mohan and  Anakapalli MP M Srinivasa Rao have quit the TDP and joined YSRC. 

Though the leaders of TDP are giving many reasons behind these exits, the workers and sympathisers are unhappy with those incidents. 

Now, the senior most leader and Vizianagaram MP P Ashok Gajapathi Raju also keeping distance with the party and government. He did not attend the politburo meeting held at Vijayawada to decide strategy for the ensuing elections. 

He has been in the party for the past 35 years and loyal to high command. Even he worked as Union Aviation Minister in the present NDA government for four years and stepped out of government following denial of Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. 

Even he skipped the Bhogapuram International Airport foundation stone laying ceremony, where Chief Minister participated. 

The inside sources say that Ashok Gajapathi Raju is not happy with the recent decisions taken by the party high command. These may be the reasons behind the sulking of Ashok. Ashok who has high ethical values and spotless politician in entire AP. 

When he was the Aviation Minister, he proposed to hand over the construction of Bhogapuram International Airport to Airports Authority of India (AAI) as the organization is operating number of airports all over India, that too it’s a government enterprise. 

But Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reportedly ruled out the proposal of Ashok and he preferred to hand over the responsibility to GMR industries, a private firm. This bold decision taken by Naidu has made Ashok as powerless minister in national level and even he could not defend Naidu’s decision. 

Another reason is senior Congress leader V Kishore Chandra Deo, who resigned from party is planning to join TDP and contest from Araku as MP candidate. As per insider sources, Ashok has strongly objected the entry of Kishore into TDP. 

But Naidu didn’t honour his opinion and welcomed Kishore into party fold. The two incidents had made Ashok to rethink and change his opinion on party. With Ashok’s sulking, the local cadre is in dilemma. 

A follower of Ashok Gajapathi Raju said, “Ashok, with clean image, should not be insulted. The high command should respect him and his opinions and take care of him.”