Hyderabad:
Election mood is catching up in Andhra Pradesh and once again the NTR legacy is being claimed by multiple political actors, ironically across party lines.
The latest film release Badshah starring Junior NTR, actor and also the legendary Nandamuri Tarakarama Rao's grandson, is at the centre of the controversy. Posters appeared last week in several places showing the photographs of the original NTR and his popular actor grandson along with that of Jagan Mohan Reddy, his famous father and former Chief Minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy or YSR, and also his mother Vijayamma.
That fuelled speculation on whether Junior NTR, as he is popularly known, would dump the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a party established by his charismatic grandfather, and would switch loyalties to the YSR Congress party. Only recently Junior NTR's friend and MLA Nani, who in fact got the TDP ticket on Junior NTR's recommendation, had joined Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The faces on the photos on rival political posters provoked loud noises of protest from the TDP. NTR's actor son Balakrishna, whose daughter is married to Chandrababu Naidu's only son Lokesh, said Junior NTR needs to explain if the YSR Congress party's posters had his approval.
That provoked Balakrishna's elder son and Junior NTR's father Harikrishna to retort that Junior NTR does not need to explain anything to anyone. That he has fans across political parties and he cannot stop them.
Some political observers say there is a rivalry brewing between the gen-next of the NTR clan. Lokesh has started taking an active interest in politics and in fact accompanied his father Chandrababu Naidu on his padyatra as well. At a time when he is setting the stage to emerge as the natural political heir of the party, the entry of a Junior NTR could threaten his position, given the actor's tremendous fan following.
Interestingly, some Congress party posters too have recently carried the photos of the thespian actor NTR and his actor-grandson Junior NTR. Reacting to that senior Congress leader and NTR's daughter Purandareshwari says NTR had admirers in all parties and there was nothing wrong in the Congress using his picture. "When YSR launched the subsidised rice scheme, he in fact credited NT Rama Rao with having launched the Rs 2 rice scheme,'' she said.
NTR's widow Lakshmi Parvati is in fact in the YSR Congress party and she sees no controversy in her party using her husband's photograph. "How can NTR belong to the man who backstabbed him and virtually threw him out of the party that he established?" she asks.
15 years after his death, NTR's face still has much sought-after brand value even though his family is divided and everyone is demanding a share of the cake.
The latest film release Badshah starring Junior NTR, actor and also the legendary Nandamuri Tarakarama Rao's grandson, is at the centre of the controversy. Posters appeared last week in several places showing the photographs of the original NTR and his popular actor grandson along with that of Jagan Mohan Reddy, his famous father and former Chief Minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy or YSR, and also his mother Vijayamma.
That fuelled speculation on whether Junior NTR, as he is popularly known, would dump the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a party established by his charismatic grandfather, and would switch loyalties to the YSR Congress party. Only recently Junior NTR's friend and MLA Nani, who in fact got the TDP ticket on Junior NTR's recommendation, had joined Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The faces on the photos on rival political posters provoked loud noises of protest from the TDP. NTR's actor son Balakrishna, whose daughter is married to Chandrababu Naidu's only son Lokesh, said Junior NTR needs to explain if the YSR Congress party's posters had his approval.
That provoked Balakrishna's elder son and Junior NTR's father Harikrishna to retort that Junior NTR does not need to explain anything to anyone. That he has fans across political parties and he cannot stop them.
Some political observers say there is a rivalry brewing between the gen-next of the NTR clan. Lokesh has started taking an active interest in politics and in fact accompanied his father Chandrababu Naidu on his padyatra as well. At a time when he is setting the stage to emerge as the natural political heir of the party, the entry of a Junior NTR could threaten his position, given the actor's tremendous fan following.
Interestingly, some Congress party posters too have recently carried the photos of the thespian actor NTR and his actor-grandson Junior NTR. Reacting to that senior Congress leader and NTR's daughter Purandareshwari says NTR had admirers in all parties and there was nothing wrong in the Congress using his picture. "When YSR launched the subsidised rice scheme, he in fact credited NT Rama Rao with having launched the Rs 2 rice scheme,'' she said.
NTR's widow Lakshmi Parvati is in fact in the YSR Congress party and she sees no controversy in her party using her husband's photograph. "How can NTR belong to the man who backstabbed him and virtually threw him out of the party that he established?" she asks.
15 years after his death, NTR's face still has much sought-after brand value even though his family is divided and everyone is demanding a share of the cake.
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