Why Didn’t Chandrababu Stop Balayya From Abusing PM Modi in Public?  

Hindupur MLA and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's brother-in-law, actor Nandamuri Balakrishna went ballistic in Vijayawada yesterday. It is worth mentioning that Chandrababu was on a one-day hunger strike seeking justice for the state at Indira Gandhi Stadium. Among the speakers at the venue was Balayya, who incidentally, is Nara Lokesh's father-in-law.

Balayya's histrionic rant in a mix of Hindi and Telugu was peppered with abusive terms hurled at none other than Prime Minister Modi. Addressing the PM in the singular, Balayya first accused him of creating a divide between Northern and Southern states, adding that it was not just Andhra Pradesh but the entire nation which was turning against PM Modi.

Raising the pitch of his abuse, the Hindupur MLA called him a traitor, ungrateful person and a eunuch. He said that people of AP would drive Modi out of the state even if he tried to hide in a bunker.

Meanwhile, while this abusive rant went on from Balayya, Chandrababu Naidu seemed amused more than anything else which is shocking to say the least. For a public representative to address the Prime Minister in singular and then use the sort of unparliamentary language which Nandamuri Balakrishna did, should have called for immediate intervention and admonition from the chief minister.

Chandrababu's passive reaction mirrors his endorsement of what his brother-in-law had been saying. Is such uncivil behaviour to be condoned by the chief minister? Balayya's speech in which he also counselled Modi to respect elders (veiled reference to Advani) and women (implying his wife Jashodhaben), smacks of ignorance and arrogance. In true filmy style, he offered to teach Modi a lesson or two in matters of such decorum (sabaq hum sikhayenge).

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister who spoke at the end of his day-long fast, claiming that he was senior to Modi in politics, should have known better than to let Balayya go on like a loose canon in public.

Till yesterday, Chandrababu sang paeans in praise of Modi and now, sits nonchallantly when the prime minister is openly abused by one of his MLAs and close relatives.

The AP Chief Minister who is usually hyperactive on social media and who incidentally, posted about half a dozen tweets on his fast yesterday chose not to comment on Balayya's uncivilized behaviour in public. The crowing iron of it all is that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Chandrababu on his birthday.