POWER MOVES

All’s not well in Chandrababu Naidu’s Delhi office

All is reportedly not well in the Delhi set-up of the ‘master administrator,’ Nara Chandrababu Naidu. His secretary-in-charge is said to be in frequent conflict with Members of Parliament from his party. In a recent episode, when the Chief Minister was in Delhi for the swearing-in of the new Vice-President, C P Radhakrishnan, the secretary allegedly spoke rudely to woman MP Byreddy Shabari. When the shocked MP asked him to be respectful to a Member of Parliament — particularly a woman — he reportedly told her to leave the room and wait in another one if she wished to meet the Chief Minister. The incident occurred at 1, Janpath, the Chief Minister’s official residence in Delhi’s Lutyens’ Zone. Sources said he virtually chased the MP out of the room, leaving her hurt and in tears. It is understood that she has complained to the Chief Minister about the incident, and the Chief Minister is said to be looking into the matter. Although this is the first time the Chief Minister has been formally informed about the secretary’s behaviour, sources say it was not the first instance of his misconduct with TDP leaders. In a previous episode, the secretary reportedly slammed a door on senior TDP MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy. Vemireddy reportedly told a fellow MP, “It is for such arrogance that I left the YSRCP. Now the TDP is also becoming like this.”

Coming soon: A seasoned diplomat’s book on PM Modi

A top diplomat, who has been a favourite of the current regime, is reportedly writing a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book will focus on Mr Modi’s achievements as the Prime Minister, especially focussing on his foreign policy and geo-political moves and the efforts to ‘build a strong and independent India’ in the increasingly splintering world. According to sources, the book was ready for release when US President Donald Trump’s tariff politics completely changed the global dynamics, especially for India. The final chapters of the book are now being rewritten as India weighs its options between US on one side and Russia-China on the other. Sources say the author is drawing on his key postings to reconstruct decisions and summitry. The book is being described as a memoir and policy primer.