There seems to be more to the meeting of Union home minister Amit Shah with popular Tollywood hero Jr N T Rama Rao at Novotel Hotel near Shamshabad international airport late on Sunday night.
Though the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders said it was just a courtesy call and Shah wanted to personally congratulate Jr NTR for his stupendous action in the recent blockbuster film “RRR,” sources said the was beyond that.
If it was only to congratulate the actor for Jr NTR’s acting skills, Shah could have called him over phone and given the compliments.
If it was about only the film, he could have also called Ram Charan Teja and Rajamouli etc, apart from of course, newly-nominated Rajya Sabha member Vijayendra Prasad.
But Shah wanted to meet only Jr NTR and spent nearly half-an-hour with him.
“Had a good interaction with a very talented actor and the gem of our Telugu cinema, Jr NTR in Hyderabad," Amit Shah tweeted.
Junior NTR also tweeted and wrote, "It was a pleasure meeting you and having a delightful interaction. Thanks for the kind words."
Sources said Shah had a personal talk with NTR after sending other BJP leaders including G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay out of the room. What transpired between them is only left for the imagination of the BJP leaders and media.
Earlier, Shah had an hour-long meeting with media baron Ch Ramoji Rao at Ramoji Film City. Though there were reports that Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu also would join the meeting, it did not happen.
Even this meeting with Ramoji Rao is believed to be politically significant, as Ramoji Rao is known for his pro-Telugu Desam Party stand. The subsequent meeting with Jr NTR is also viewed in this context.
Sources said Ramoji Rao sought to broker the deal between the TDP and BJP in Andhra Pradesh, but Amit Shah, having had a bad experience with Naidu four years ago, has no interest in restoring ties with the TDP. Yet, the BJP is watching out the developments in Andhra Pradesh.
“Apparently, BJP thinks Jr N T Rama Rao will be of more useful to the party than Naidu, whose credibility is questionable. In the event of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan goes with the TDP, the BJP may consider Jr NTR as the charismatic face of the party,” sources said.
However, one wonders whether Jr NTR will give up the legacy of his grandfather Sr NTR and join the BJP at this stage.
“He has a lot of energy and age to continue in films, which is more lucrative than politics. Secondly, the BJP has no stake in the state. Thirdly, fighting against a party which was founded by his grandfather may not go down well with NTR,” an analyst said.
