Andhra Pradesh

Great expectations

The unprecedented hype associated with the entry of film star Chiranjeevi into politics has raised the hopes of people on an equally unprecedented line. Chiranjeevi’s reel life image of a mass hero donning the role of a messiah for the needy seems to have thrust a huge responsibility on his shoulders even before his official entry.

A senior citizen in an apartment complex in a residential locality has refused to join others in clearing the common water bill for the metered supply. When pressed for shelling out his share of the bill by other members of the apartment complex, he assured them: “Do not worry. Once Chiranjeevi comes to power and becomes Chief Minister, he will waive all pending bills and even scrap the system of metering of drinking water. Let’s not pay the bill until then.”

Never mind, if Chiranjeevi has not opened his mouth until now on whether he is floating a party, if so, what it stands for and so on. Optimism, surely, has no bounds.

Suddenly, things are looking bright for the cricket aficionados of Vijayawada. Proving that sports administrators are no way inferior to politicians, Andhra Cricket Association secretary V. Chamundeswaranath, who was in the city recently, heaped loads of promises. His promise to stage a couple of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches brought smiles on the faces of budding cricketers, as they can see their icons live in action.

Much to their delight, Chamudi (as he is fondly called) also promised to stage a match involving Sri Lanka ‘A’ team before the Ranji season that begins later this year.

However, the mother of all promises was to make the ACA’s exclusive stadium at Mangalagiri as the official One-Day International centre in the future.

The last time the Vijayawada folks saw international stars in action was in 2002, when Carl Hopper-led West Indies locked horns with the Dravid Sena in IGMC Stadium.

How you introduce your chum to your superior is very important.

Pradesh Congress Commitee executive member Kolanukonda Sivaji had to learn this the hard way. On a day before Samanthapudi Narasaraju was officially elected Deputy Mayor, Mr. Sivaji goofed up by introducing him to Rajya Sabha member and political advisor to the Government K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao as “the man who is going to be the Deputy Mayor”.

Mr. Rao quickly hauled up the BC leader for giving up so easily on his endeavour to have a BC corporator elected to the post.

“I’m trying to move things at the highest level and you have given up,” Mr. Rao blurted out in public, much to the chagrin of Mr. Sivaji.

Sanitation takes a beating during rainy season and majority of local bodies begin to take pre-monsoon initiatives in May every year. Ironically, the exercise is beginning in Guntur on Tuesday one and a half months after the monsoon set in in these parts.

The GMC executive and administrators glossed over it then.

The rain god also stood on their side and did not rain all these days. Some of the stakeholders attending an awareness meeting on anti-larval measures at GMCANA auditorium jocularly said the rain god was totally partial towards the Congress dispensation even in this aspect!

P. Sujatha Varma, J. R. Sridharan and G. V. Ramana Rao in Vijayawada and Ramesh Susarla in Guntur

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