Once seen as a King Maker in national politics and a toast of the national media, the Telugu Desam party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu now appears to be a pale shadow of his past.
When he was playing a key role in the United Front and NDA governments at the Centre, the media was virtually running after him, requesting for interviews and exclusives and whatever he spoke and did had provided the fodder for the media.
In sharp contract, the media is now totally ignoring him, barring some "favourable" Telugu media organisations back home.
The national media has only made a passing reference to his indefinite fast in the national capital.
On the other hand, the indefinite fast by the YSR Congress Party President Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in support of the united AP cause has generated enormous interest in the national media.
All leading national news channels did exclusive interviews with him in Hyderabad. So did the national English dailies.
The news websites ran Jagan's fast as lead stories for two full days and carried his interview prominently.
For someone who always thrives on media limelight, Naidu must be truly a disappointed man.
Now, he has to be content with a couple of Telugu channels giving him prominent coverage in their hourly bullets.
To coincide with these bulletins, the TDP chief makes sure that he talks before the cameras about how is pained over the developments in Seemandhra region.
What has made Naidu an increasingly irrelevant political figure in the state? If one has to it in a nutshell, it is the "credibility deficit". And, he has to blame himself for this situation.
Too many flip flops on Telangana issue for the sake of political mileage has dented his credibility to such an extent that the people do not believe him anymore even if he undertakes indefinite fast.
Naidu is caught in such a confused state that if any reporter now asks him whether he is supporting Telangana state formation or keeping AP united, he has no answer. He is really clueless.
