Enemy’s enemy is a friend. This is what is being proven in Andhra Pradesh politics these days, particularly in the ruling YSR Congress Party. Those who were denied the cabinet berth and those who were dropped from the cabinet are now joining hands against those who could make it to the cabinet.

The new ministers are throwing a piece of advice to the dissident leaders, while the senior ministers who were retained in the new cabinet remain silent to the dissent. Minister R K Roja said that it was not possible to make all 150 MLAs as ministers and advised her party MLAs to understand the reality. One wonders whether she could have made the same statement had she been kept out of the cabinet.

While keeping these enlightenment statements aside, those who could not make it to the cabinet and those who were dropped from the cabinet are joining hands. In Nellore district, former minister P Anil Kumar Yadav had met local MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy. While Anil Kumar was dropped from the cabinet, Sridhar Reddy was denied the cabinet berth.

When Anil Kumar was in the cabinet, there was no relationship between the minister and the MLA in Nellore politics. The followers of Anil Kumar and Sridhar Reddy clashed a couple of times and they did not see eye to eye.

Having dropped Anil Kumar from the cabinet and denied Sridhar Reddy the cabinet berth, the chief minister had taken another MLA Kakani Govardhan Reddy into the cabinet. With Govardhan Reddy taking over the reins, both Anil Kumar and Sridhar Reddy have become friends now. Anil Kumar went all the way to Sridhar Reddy’s house and had a long discussion. While what was discussed is not known, the observers say that these two joined hands against Govardhan Reddy in the district politics.

It is to be seen how Govardhan Reddy would handle the district politics with more rivals within the party.