AP Politics Took A ‘Kapu’ Turn With Mudragada Entry

The Kapu politics increased heat in Andhra Pradesh. Ahead of the elections, Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham intervened between Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan and Kakinada MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy’s challenge.

He shot off a letter targeting Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan asking him to behave like a people’s leader. He took a swipe at Pawan and said that he was behaving like a street rowdy and using abusive language “thaata teesta…”, “thokkestaaa…” etc.

Further, he asked Pawan to accept Kakinada MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy’s challenge and contest from the constituency. Mudragada supported Dwarampudi and his family. Dwarampudi asked Pawan to contest from Kakinada and quit politics if he loses from there. “If I lose, I will do the same,” Dwarampudi said.

When it was expected that the Jana Senanis would hit back at Mudragada, firstly, TDP BC leader Buddha Venkanna gave a strong counter to the Kapu leader. Venkanna asked Mudragada why did he sit silent even YCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy did not do any good to the Kapu community in the last four years. Are you afraid of Jagan? Do you have any underhand dealing with Jagan, he asked.

He also replied in strong terms that the TDP leaders would not sit quiet if Mudragada tried to criticise their party supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, in the name of Kapu movement. Venkanna also took exception to Mudragada’s remarks that Pawan was acting like a stooge to their party president and former CM N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Meanwhile, Kapu veteran Harirama Jogaiah wrote another letter to Mudragada saying that he never thought the latter could stoop to such low levels and fault Pawan Kalyan even when he was trying to unite the Kapus through his Vaarahi yatra. Just for the sake of a minister post or a nominated post, Mudragada is trying to mortgage the interests of the Kapus to the Reddy community, Jogaiah alleged. He also advised the Kapus not to get cheated by such ‘false leaders’.

“I believed that Mudragada is a gentleman but now, that belief has taken a beating,” he said. Jogaiah also alleged that Mudragada had a secret deal with the YCP and ensured that the Kapus did not vote for the JSP. “Is Jagan not there behind Mudragada’s actions? When the Kapus were nearing to reach their goal of securing political power, Mudragada played spoilsport,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dwarampudi said that the allegations made by Pawan against him that he has encroached huge swathes of land illegally were baseless. “All the Kapu leaders are by my side and that is the reason even Mudragada is supporting me. They will give a befitting reply very soon to Pawan.”

“Pawan tried to create some trouble by criticising me but I am not going to fear anybody because I know I have not done any wrong,” Dwarampudi said.

Responding to the war over letters, YCP leaders alleged that the JSP activists tried to insult the women in Dwarampudi’s family when they staged a protest at his house. At that time, Pawan’s brother Chiranjeevi tried to tender his apology on behalf of Pawan, to the Dwarampudi’s family but Naidu’s government prevented him from reaching Kakinada by foisting cases against him and sent him back from Rajahmundry airport.

Over 90% of Kapus are with Jagan, the YCP leaders claimed.