In a significant political development, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met actor Junior NTR, grandson of NT Rama Rao, the founder of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in Hyderabad on Sunday, August 21. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained that it was purely a ‘courtesy’ visit, in political circles the meeting sparked speculations that the BJP wanted to woo the actor ahead of the elections in 2023.
Shah met the actor for around 15 minutes at the Novotel hotel in Hyderabad’s Shamshabad for dinner after his public meeting in Munugode, which is set to witness a bye-poll. Though the BJP claimed that the meeting was only to convey Amit Shah's wishes to Junior NTR for his latest movie RRR, sources say that the BJP hopes the meeting would create a positive buzz for the party.
It must be recalled that Junior NTR, who is the son of late actor Harikrishna and Shalini Bhaskar Rao, had campaigned intensely for the TDP in the 2009 elections. However, he was later isolated from the NTR family and the party’s affairs. Despite this, the actor had come out in support of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and his wife Bhuvaneshwari, when the latter was allegedly insulted in the Andhra Assembly by YSRCP leaders. Bhuvaneshwari is Harikrishna’s sister.
కేంద్ర హోం మంత్రి శ్రీ @AmitShah ను మర్యాదపూర్వకంగా కలిసిన ప్రముఖ సినీ నటుడు శ్రీ నందమూరి తారక రామారావు (జూనియర్ ఎన్టీఆర్) @tarak9999 pic.twitter.com/RB8I1cWuOc
— BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) August 21, 2022
Though the Amit Shah- Junior NTR meeting is reminiscent of Narendra Modi's sudden visit to Rajinikanth's house in Chennai in 2014, it is not known if Junior NTR has any political ambition. Rajinikanth too announced a political party, but later withdrew. The veteran actor has however been supportive of the BJP on many issues.
With Amit Shah meeting film producer and media tycoon Ramoji Rao (who is close to Chandrababu Naidu), there is also speculation that the BJP maybe softening its stand towards the TDP.
Though TDP leaders deny any such possibility, Naidu's recent decision to endorse the candidature of Draupadi Murmu in the Presidential election indicated an understanding of sorts.
Earlier too, Naidu had hinted at the same when he expressed his interest to form an alliance with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP). When a TDP activist asked if he would join hands with the JSP, he replied, “It’s not enough to have one-sided love, the person you love also should reciprocate.” JSP is in alliance with the BJP.
Amit Shah was in Hyderabad to officially induct former Congress legislator Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy into the party.