Chandrababu Naidu pacifies warring Akhila Priya and Subba Reddy

Amaravati/Hyderabad: Differences between Tourism Minister B Akhila Priya and her family friend A V Subba Reddy have reached a flash point, necessitating the intervention of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to bring about a rapprochement between the two warring leaders, to prevent the image of the party taking a beating.

The two leaders, accompanied by their supporters, arrived at Undavalli and were closeted with the Chief Minister at his residence who is understood have been annoyed over neither leader climbing down from his and her position and work together to improve the party’s prospects.

In fact, Naidu had summoned Akhila Priya and Subba Reddy for two consecutive days but showing one reason or the other, Akhila Priya gave a slip to the meeting. Naidu, who was upset with the defiance of the Tourism Minister, summoned her on Thursday to his residence which she had to oblige.

At the meeting, the Chief Minister admonished both of them for wearing their hatred for each other on their sleeves unmindful of the adverse impact it would have on the party and wanted to know why they could not work together. He told them that they should hence forth should work for improvement of the prospects of the party and not give any scope for others to derive benefit from their feuds.

The latest incident that heightened the rift between the two leaders was that when Subba Reddy and his supporters were on bicycle yatra on party programme in Allagadda constituency on last Sunday, some unknown persons arrived in jeeps and threw stones at them.

Subba Reddy’s supporters alleged that the jeeps had the images of Bhuma Nagireddy and deduced that it was Akhila Priya’s men who attacked them. Subba Reddy felt that they had made an abortive bid on his life and lodged a complaint with the police but the later showed unknown persons as accused without mentioning Akhila Priya or any of her supporters’ names in the FIR.

Meanwhile, Akhila Priaya’s sister Naga Mounika said that that they were ready for any probe into the stone-pelting incident. She further added that they would not encourage Bhuma followers to indulge in violence. At the same time, she maintained that the people will give a fitting reply to those who carry out a campaign against them.

Mounika blamed Subba Reddy was trying to malign the image of Bhuma family but they were exercising restraint in the face of provocation since Chandrababu Naidu promised to solve all their problems. She maintained that from the last one week, Subba Reddy had been making allegations against her sister.

Subba Reddy was in fact Bhuma Nagireddy’s follower and the late leader used to trust him in all respects. But after Bhuma Nagireddy’s death, Akhila Priya turned against Subba Reddy. Sources said that there were some property disputes between Subba Reddy and Akhila Priya which had stoked the embers of hatred between them.

The differences became pronounced when Akhila Priya managed to get TDP ticket for Nandyal byelection to her cousin Brahmananda Reddy which became an eyesore for Subba Reddy who thought he would be favoured for the ticket. In the byelection campaign too, Subba Reddy did not work actively when he “met with an accident” and “had to remain at home.”

Now, both Akhila Priya and Subba Reddy want Chandrababu Naidu to take action against the other, but the Chief Minister wants them to bury the hatchet and work together.