The Vijayawada’s Kesineni family is in the news this week for a wrong reason. The news is that the Kesineni brothers are in fighting mode. However, it is not clear whether the two are really at loggerheads.

Kesineni Srinivas alias Nani is the two-time Lok Sabha member from Vijayawada won on TDP ticket. His brother Kesineni Sivanath alias Chinni has been a successful realtor in Hyderabad. The siblings were on good terms until the news came that they had become poles apart.

It is a known fact that Nani is not happy with the party leadership and has been keeping away from the party activities. He was first disappointed with the leadership denying him the Parliamentary Party leadership after the 2019 elections. Later, he was upset with the party leadership not acting against his critics and rivals in the party in Vijayawada.

While former minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao is equally strong even after losing the 2019 elections, senior leaders K Nagul Meera and Buddha Venkanna have turned against Nani. They have even openly criticised Nani causing him embracement.

After these developments, Kesineni Nani has been inactive in the party. It is said that Nani’s indifferent attitude seems to have given a chance for the party leadership to set its eye on Nani’s brother Chinni and lure him with a better position in the party.

Sources say that Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh have reportedly held talks with Chinni and have even offered the Lok Sabha seat if Nani refuses to contest. Perhaps this is the reason why Nani is said to have hinted at similar treatment to the Nara family or even the TDP leadership.

“I will give you what you give me. If my enemy is your friend, remember your enemy will be my friend.” This is what Kesineni Nani had said in a meeting with the party leaders indicating the intervention of Naidu and Lokesh in his family.

Politicians have different ways of saying “Tata bye bye” . Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani too has his own way of saying “tata TDP.” The MP, who is estranged with the TDP for quite some time, now appears to be planning to say final adieu.

Kesineni Nani is unhappy with Chandrababu for not addressing his grievances. He wants Chandrababu Naidu to take action against the troika of Bonda Uma, Buddha Venkanna and Nagul Meera. He feels that the troika had marred the chance of his daughter Shweta becoming the mayor of Vijayawada by sabotaging the party’s winning chances. To his dismay, Chandrababu is not responding at all, let alone initiate action against the threesome.

Recently, he has written a letter to Chandrababu saying that he and his daughter would not be available for the 2024 elections. He asked the party to look for another candidate. Interestingly, Chandrababu did not respond even to those threats.

So, on Monday, Nani first removed all the posters of the Telugu Desam from his office – the Kesineni Bhavan. All banners and posters of the party were taken off. The cut-outs of Nani with Chandrababu Naidu were also removed. Even inside the Kesineni Bhavan, all the party flags, posts, photographs and cutouts have been removed. Instead of Chandrababu, now a photograph of Kesineni Nani with Ratan Tata adorns the room.

This is Kesineni Nani’s way of saying “bye bye Tata” with a photograph of Ratan Tata.

Remember Butchaiah Chowdary’s resignation and revolt against TDP top boss Chandrababu Naidu? He raved and ranted but melted like ice when he met Chandrababu Naidu. He meekly mouthed his dedication and determination to work for the party. What looked like a storm ended up as a storm in the tea cup.

Is Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani’s decision not to contest in 2024 elections too is a storm in the teacup? Highly placed sources say that it is likely. Nani through a letter indicated that neither he nor his daughter Shweta would be interested in contesting the 2024 elections. He has also asked Chandrababu to look for an alternative to him. This created quite a commotion.

When he wrote this letter, he was out of station. As soon as he reached Vijayawada, his followers and supporters flocked to the Kesineni Bhavan demanding that he take back his letter. Nani told them that he would stand by them and that Kesineni Bhavan would always be open to them. The supporters told him that they cannot imagine a Vijayawada TDP without him. Nani did not give them any assurance but said he would consider his decision.

Sources say Kesineni Nani is upset over party leaders Bonda Uma and Buddha Venkanna for not cooperating with him in the VMC elections. He was showing his displeasure by talking about not contesting in 2024. Finally, the whole drama ended with Nani assuring his supporters that he is yet to take a decision. Thus ended the storm in the tea cup.

After Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani’s sudden announcement that neither he nor his daughter Shwetha would contest the election in 2024, it has emerged that many more MP candidates are of the same opinion. It is not just the opposition TDP leaders, but even the ruling YSRCP MPs too are disinclined to contest for the MP seat next time. It is another matter that they have not come out into the open with their opinion.

Kesineni Nani told Chandrababu Naidu to start looking for a suitable candidate for Vijayawada MP seat. Initially, it was thought that there was some kind if groupism in the TDP. One major reason for this is allegedly the rising cost of contesting an election. An MP candidate may have to shell out his fortune to contest. On an average, an MP constituency has six to seven assembly constituencies and thus, the cost of contesting for a Lok Sabha seat is an arduous task from the financial view point.

There is another issue, according to sources in the know. Ever since the BJP got an absolute majority, the dependence on the regional parties has come down. So, an MP post has no leverage whatsoever. With the governance centralized in the hands of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the MPs cannot influence any ministry or bureaucrat to get some project or some contract Thus the MPs are unable to take any advantage of their position as they used to do earlier.

Earlier, the MPs during the Congress regime had secured several contracts and projects in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states. One such MP from Rayalseema had earned so much that he had even become the CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh for two terms, according to sources. With that benefit removed due to Modi, the MP post has become unattractive, the sources say.

TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas has criticised Opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy and his party YCP for naming AP CM Chandrababu Naidu as accused number 1 in the Vizag airport murder attempt case. Kesineni says that it is Jagan who has a bloody legacy of faction killings and murders down from the days of his grandfather Raja Reddy of Kadapa factionist fame.

The TDP MP says that Raja Reddy is well known for his string of notorious murders in those days while YS Rajasekhara Reddy has also his share of violence in the form of instigating communal violence in Hyderabad Old City for settling political scores. Kesineni also pointed to the gory murder of former minister Paritala Ravindra in which Jagan himself is accused number 1.

Kesineni further said that Jagan would not have been able to continue his Praja Sankalpa padayatra for so many thousands of kilometres through the length and breadth of AP if Chandrababu has a faction mindset. Jagan would have lost his life long ago if the TDP had also adopted a faction policy like YSR and Raja Reddy, he added.