Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the inclusion of caste data in the census.

In his letter, the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister noted that such a census is essential for the progress of the Backward Castes (BCs).

The BCs comprise the majority of India’s population but are not receiving benefits proportional to their numbers, he said.

The first BC commission, in 1953, and subsequently several other national and state BC commissions had recommended enumeration of BCs in the national census, he noted.

“There is speculation that a caste census would further deepen the social divisions and promote discrimination. However, the exclusion of caste data can be as unjust as caste-based discrimination. Lack of data will only result in inefficient policies and weak implementation of schemes meant for the welfare and development of BCs,” he said.

Naidu said that BCs remain in poverty due to lack of sufficient data, although several government policies have been formulated for their welfare.

Stung by the string of reversals in Kuppam, TDP chief is on a course correction mode in his home turf of Kuppam. Starting from Tuesday (October 12), he would camp in Kuppam for three days to regain the lost ground. He is all set to meet the party workers and leaders to breathe new confidence among them. During this period, he would also review the party position and the reasons for the electoral defeats in Kuppam.

On October 12, he will address a public meeting in Kuppam. He would also conduct a road show in Kuppam. On October 13, he will cover Ramakuppam and Santipuram mandals. On the last day, he would cover rural Kuppam and Gudupalli. During this period, he would meet old-timers, party loyalists and others.

The panchayat elections, though not fought on party basis, were a wakeup call. Out of the 89 panchayats in Kuppam assembly constituency, the YSRCP supporters bagged 74, while the TDP had to remain content with just 14 panchayats. Soon after this debacle, Chandrababu Naidu stayed for three days in the constituency and interacted with several leaders. This has succeeded in instilling confidence among the voters.

The TDP had boycotted the MPTC and ZPTC elections. But there were party candidates fighting the election unofficially. The YSRCP had won 17 of the 19 MPTCs, leaving two for the TDP in Kuppam mandal. It won all the 16 in Ramakuppam and all but one in Gudipala and Santipuram mandals.

TDP workers and leaders feel that Chandrababu’s three-day visit will breathe new life into the party and will re energise the party. The party workers are making preparations to ensure that Chandrababu’s three-day tour will become successful.

There is a problem that political warhorse and a veteran of many political battles, Chandrababu Naidu is unable to solve. Chandrababu had appointed incharges for 16 of the 17 assembly constituencies in Guntur. But, there is one constituency which he is unable to decide. There are many claimants, but Chandrababu is unable to choose one.

No marks for guessing which constituency it is. It is Sattenapalli constituency. As long as Kodela Sivaprasad was there, the TDP did not have to bother about it. After his passing away, the seat has been without an incharge. There are several claimants. Kodela’s son Sivaramakrishna, former MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao’s son RangaRao, former MLA GV Anjaneyulu have already thrown their hat in the ring.

Meanwhile senior leader Nagothu Souraiah has entered the fray. A native of Turakapalem in Nakarikallu mandal in the constituency, Souraiah has been with the party for over three decades and served in various capacities such as sarpanch and MPP. He has recently met Chandrababu Naidu and expressed his desire to be made the incharge of the constituency. Other leaders like Mannem Sivanagamalleswara Rao of Abburu, who was Telugu Yuvatha leader for eight years, too are aspiring for the post.

Interestingly, Chandrababu Naidu is still weighing the options. He has kept the appointment in cold storage and has been in a wait and watch mode. As he is delaying the appointment, more and more people are throwing her hat in the Sattenapalli ring.

There is stunned silence in Chittoor district in general and Kuppam assembly constituency in particular after the MPTC and ZPTC election results were out. The TDP was badly mauled and all the efforts could not stop the Jagan Juggernaut. The party workers and cadre are almost in a mourning.

They are as pained as Chandrababu is over the election reversals at the local level. In the 2019 elections, all seats except Kuppam went into the YSRCP kitty. Now, it appears even Kuppam has slipped out of hands. Tirupati, Kuppam, Palamner, Madanapalle, Nagari, Srikalahasti, Satyavedu and Piler were TDP citadels for decades. The TDP went crashing even in these areas. In case of Chandragiri, Punganuru, Tamballapalli and Putalabattu, the leaders have become very inactive.

The TDP workers and grassroots level leaders are now raising questions about the way the party is being managed in Chittoor. Many are commenting that it is better to focus on the party instead of targeting the ruling party.

In fact, post the 2019 defeat, the party workers told Chandrababu about various issues confronting the party. Chandrababu Naidu noted down all the points. But precious little was done. Later, similar points were raised during the panchayat polls. The party leaders took note and did nothing. They now want Chandrababu to set the house in order in his home district.

Is Chandrababu Naidu losing his grip on the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh? The recent incidents show that the leaders at the district level are becoming bolder and bolder. Some leaders have openly questioned Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership. On some issues, Chandrababu appears to be totally clueless on how to deal with the emerging situations.

First, it was Rajahmundry’s six-time MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary. He threatened to resign from the party over his arch rival in the party – Adireddy Appa Rao – being given more importance. That he kept the party leadership on the edge for over ten days . He did finally fall in line, but not before making his point. Even at the press conference that he has addressed after his meeting with Chandrababu Naidu, Butchaiah Chowdary looked quite defiant.

No sooner did this issue subside than the Anantapuram TDP episode came to the fore. It was not an outsider who was maligning the TDP. It was an insider. JC Prabhakar Reddy made shocking comments on leaders like Palle Raghunatha Reddy. He said that Palle was colluding with the YSRCP only to save his 200 acres of landed assets. JC’s supporters even took to Facebook to accuse Palle of trying to put spokes in the works of Kia motors. Palle’s supporters criticised JC on several other issues.

While all this was happening, there was no action from party boss Chandrababu Naidu. Neither did he admonish anyone nor did he try to set the house in order. He stayed put at Hyderabad. His son Lokesh too did not intervene in the issue. Many in the party are now beginning to feel that Chandrababu Naidu is slowly but surely beginning to lose his grip on the party. They feel that Chandrababu Naidu should act sooner than later to set the house in order.

The Opposition TDP is planning to target the faulty handing of the farm sector by the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. Starting from September 14, the TDP is organising an ambitious outreach titled “Rythula Kosam Telugu Desam.” This will continue till September 18. The TDP will expose the failures of the YSRCP government in the farm sector through this programme.

According to senior leader and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, the programme is being organised as per the directions of party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu. The party will organise one programme a zone in each of the five zones in the state. Under this programme, as many as 35 assembly constituencies would be covered. He said that the protests for the Rayalaseema zone would be held on September 14. On September 15, twin Godavari districts and Nellore would witness protests. Similarly, protests would be organized on September 17 in Ongole, Tirupati, Nellore and Chittoor regions. On September 18, protests would be held in Central Coastal districts of Krishna and Guntur.

Stating that the growth in agriculture has considerably come down after YS Jagan took over, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said that during the TDP rule, an impressive 11.5 per cent growth was registered. He said the TDP has failed on all fronts and the state has not seen any growth after YS Jagan took over. He reminded that the TDP while in power used to provide a subsidy of Rs 9000 per farmer. The present YSRCP government was giving only Rs 6500, he said.

The TDP said that the YSRCP government has stopped giving subsidies to the drip irrigation. While the Central government was providing 60 percent of the subsidy, the state government is coming forward to provide the remaining 40 per cent. As a result, the scheme is not being implemented in the state government, he said.

The Andhra Pradesh police has come under attack from TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who accused them of harassing his party cadre at the behest of the ruling YSRCP.

In a letter addressed to DGP Gautam Sawang on Wednesday, Naidu said that police atrocities have reached their limits in the last two years. “The reputation of police is hitting rock bottom with every passing day,” he declared.

Naidu alleged that false cases have been filed against six TDP activists of Mogulicherla village in Prakasam district. The local TDP leaders were let go late in the night but again summoned early next morning, Naidu alleged.

Unable to bear the police harassment, two of the TDP activists have attempted suicide. Only after that, the police have stopped the harassment, he alleged.

Those harassed include children aged between 6 and 10 years old, Naidu has claimed.

The TDP leader has demanded an inquiry into the Mogulicherla incident, and action in the matter.