For quite some time, no party is taking former MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar seriously.
That is not good for an attention-seeking political intellectual like Vundavalli whose career seemed to have begun and ended with the rise and fall of his mentor YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
The Rajahmundry-based leader was known for his double-edged criticism when he was at his peak during YSR’s time and even caused so much trouble to none other than Eenadu Group itself.
That sharpness is missing in him nowadays because of lack of a proper forum and patronage from almost all existing political parties in AP.
Maybe, to regain old spotlight, Vundavalli sought to hit headlines once again by launching an attack on the ruling TDP and making fun of Chandrababu Naidu government’s proposed multi-crore projects in natural farming.
He says the MoU with a foreign organisation for Rs. 16,600 crore has made AP a laughing stock in the eyes of the world as the Naidu government is talking about zero budget farming but at the same time asking for thousands of crores of funds for no valid reasons.
Vundavalli also claims to have heard people say AP looked far behind Bihar in terms of growth and development after TDP’s zero budget farming gave poor projections on status of lakhs of farmers.
Despite Vundavalli’s best efforts, the issue has not generated expected curiosity and heat among people, not to speak of opposition leaders who are busy raising many bigger issues confronting the state in this election season.
Once upon a time, there was some magic attached to any statement made by Vundavalli but now all that has gone. During YSR’s time especially, whatever the former MP spoke was supported and followed up by other leaders, which is not the case now.
Seeing all this, political circles are doubtful whether Vundavalli can ever make a real comeback.
The door is almost closed in YCP as he continued in Congress and criticised Jaganmohan Reddy for forming a separate party which, ex MP said, would not have been approved by a die-hard Congress leader like YSR.
Many YSR fans expected Rajahmundry leader to join Jagan because of the fact he owed all his political existence and his rise in career to YSR alone.
Then there is Jana Sena which is next best option for any political aspirant in East Godavari district but Vundavalli may not look that way considering lack of compatibility in terms of ideology and experience.
Regarding Congress, he has said this party will take more than two decades to regain its past glory in AP as people are still seething with anger over state separation.
Not just Vundavalli, many senior leaders and political families are indeed facing a tough time in these days of caste vote bank, money and muscle power ruling election scene.
No doubt, the Rajahmundry leader may find the going even tougher in coming days.
