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As Cyclone Montha wreaked havoc on crops in Andhra Pradesh, YSRC supremo and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy embarked on a ‘Farmer Visit Yatra’ to console affected farmers and criticised the N. Chandrababu Naidu government for failing to help them. In response, Andhra Pradesh's IT and education minister Nara Lokesh fired back sharp satirical remarks, taking political sparring to another level. Lokesh pointedly remarked that Jagan only rarely comes to Andhra Pradesh and wags his finger at this and that, totally forgetting that when the YRSC leader does so three other fingers of his own point back at him. While Jagan may say it is just not cricket, Lokesh even talked about how he supports women, and went to Mumbai to see the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final, and how millions of Indians celebrated the Indian team’s win and landed the punch saying that in contrast Jagan had no respect for women and that he pushed his own mother and sister away from him. YSRC spokie messes up her (party) lines Following the bus fire mishap on October 24 in which 19 people were killed, the police booked 27 persons for posting irresponsible and misleading content on social media about the incident. Among those booked was YSRC spokesperson and anchor A. Shyamala who was summoned by the Kurnool police who are inquiring into attempts to whip up a social media frenzy on the accident. Though Shyamala claimed she answered all the questions from the police, the next day it was reported that she admitted her ignorance of the facts surrounding the accident and had ‘merely read out the party script’. When this began doing the round in media outlets, Shyamala released a video explaining that though the police asked her not to disclose any details about the inquiry, false reports about her interaction with the cops had surfaced suggesting it was likely that another script was being made to do the rounds to discredit the YSRC. A Speaker reminds: Drop the phone, pick up a book A book in hand is…. just ask Andhra Pradesh Speaker Chintakayala Ayyannapatrudu who the other day was spotted at the Anakapalle Book Festival organised by the Vijayawada Book Festival Society, browsing through books alongside visitors. Addressing the gathering, Ayyannapatrudu urged people to embrace good literature and stressed the need to nurture a culture of reading, particularly among the youth. He noted that in an age dominated by mobile screens, it is vital for young people to rediscover the joy of books. “Put down your phones, walk into a bookstore, and spend time with a book,” he said, encouraging students to use their free hours to build a habit that enriches both mind and character. Left out on the road: Kavali MLA feels the TD chill In the language of politics, all it takes is a gesture to let one know where he or she stands in the power structure. For TD’s MLA from Kavali Kavya Krishna Reddy, it turned out that a spot by the side of the road as TD’s heir apparent and minister Nara Lokesh drove past with what appeared to many as just an acknowledgement of his presence. Krishna Reddy’s woes reportedly began after the supporters of longtime TD loyalist Malepati Subba Naidu did not let the Kavali MLA pay respects at the 11th day ceremony after the recent passing of Subba Naidu. Their grouse? Krishna Reddy insulted Subba Naidu’s family after the former stepped away from seeking the party ticket in the last elections and that the insult was such that the supporters alleged that Subba Naidu suffered a brain stroke and eventually passed away. When Lokesh went to Subba Naidu’s family to pay his respects to the departed leader, the Kavali MLA was left standing by the side of the road nearby, barely receiving a glance from Lokesh. Thereby hangs an unfolding tale for the Kavali MLA, TD insiders say. When a babu shutters down on Montha info When disaster strikes, or threatens to strike, and actually strikes, information flow for those who need to know what they are up against and on what to do can make all the difference. But Konaseema district collector R. Mahesh Kumar has earned some brickbats for not being open or forthcoming about what was happening during the strike by Cyclone Montha and its aftermath. As the head of the district administration, the collector when approached for information on evacuations and relief measures dusted off media persons with a terse “can’t give any information to anyone” statement, and directing all those with questions to the public relations department. The pressure was on everyone as Montha barrelled in and hit Andhra Pradesh. Apparently, its winds also carried a bit of what was happening in Konaseema to the higher powers in the state. Shocker for PK: Cop he wanted probed wins two awards That Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan can be impulsive and at times ...
