Hyderabad:
It was a dramatic exit for TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu from Maharashtra. Amid vociferous protests by the Shiv Sena in its stronghold of Aurangabad, just hours before he was to be shifted to Aurangabad jail, all charges against Naidu and his aides were dropped and they were forced into a plane.(
Read: Maharashtra drops charges, flies Chandrababu Naidu out)
All this, after four days of high drama in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, since his arrest.
Naidu, who was arrested on Saturday last week, when he along with 74 of his MPs, MLAs, and MLCs crossed over the Andhra border and entered Dharmabad in Nanded district of Maharashtra, to demand an inspection of the Babhli Dam, re-igniting the controversy over water sharing between the two states.(
Read: After bus yatra, Chandrababu is arrested)
Speculations are rife in the political circuit on what caused this sudden turn of events?
"This is not a U turn, we did not allow him to visit the Babhli site," said RR Patil, Maharashtra Home Minster.
While the Maharashtra government is on the denial, it is believed that the government's sudden reversal could be motivated by the realisation that keeping Naidu in custody was only adding to his political stature back home.
In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP capitalised on Naidu's arrest accusing the Maharashtra government of manhandling its leader.
``How can the Maharashtra police act so rudely?" Asked TDP leader, Dr Janardhan Reddy
Making it an opportunity to create a political furore in the state, the TDP went on an overdrive. Party members sent petitions to the Governor, the Supreme Court and the Human rights commission. Scores of text messages were delivered to raise the pitch as TDP was projecting itself as the crusader for Andhra Pradesh's rights. (
Read: TDP bandh against Chandrababu's arrest)However, the question is, whether this well- timed agitation will improve the TDP's fortunes in the Telangana by polls on the 27th of July and whether this will be the ticket to Naidu's political revival?
On the other hand, as Chandrababu Naidu arrived in Hyderabad, all set to keep the Babhli issue burning, he was all ready for the next big move.
With an aim to keep the Babhli issue burning and making it his ticket to political revival, Naidu and his party members will sit on a dharna outside the assembly premises on Wednesday.