From Our Correspondent
Amaravati: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has sent a blunt message to his party’s communication machinery after the Republic TV episode snowballed into an avoidable confrontation, exposing deeper structural flaws inside the Telugu Desam Party.
According to party insiders familiar with the review meeting, Naidu was visibly displeased with how TDP spokespersons handled the Indigo–Republic TV controversy. What should have been a routine Centre-handled aviation issue turned into a political quarrel—one the TDP walked into without need or preparation.
‘Unnecessary conflict; avoidable escalation’
Naidu questioned why the party involved itself in the Indigo flight cancellation controversy in the first place, stressing that it had nothing to do with the state government and did not warrant a political fight merely because Rammohan Naidu is Union Civil Aviation Minister. He is understood to have remarked that a conflict-seeking approach with a channel generally sympathetic to the TDP was tactically unsound.
The CM was particularly unhappy that spokesperson Deepak Reddy entered the Republic TV debate without adequate preparation and failed to navigate the situation with presence of mind. Once objections were raised to his remarks, Naidu said, the sensible course was to close the matter—not escalate it.
Instead, TDP representatives pushed back aggressively, assuming Arnab Goswami was targeting the TDP and Nara Lokesh. This, Naidu felt, magnified a minor issue into an entirely unnecessary confrontation.
Worse, he noted, the perception that TDP had boycotted Republic TV—whether stated explicitly or not—spread rapidly on social media. The fact that the channel aired an empty chair and announced a TDP boycott, Naidu said, was a direct consequence of the party failing to clarify the misunderstanding. A simple phone call could have defused the entire situation.
His warning was sharp: spokespersons must remember they represent the party, not themselves. When they forget this, small issues turn into crises.
‘No one knows the party line’ — Naidu’s stinging diagnosis
If the Republic TV mishap revealed poor tactical handling, Naidu’s deeper critique was about the party’s communication architecture—or the lack of one. He pointed out that TDP spokespersons often do not know the party’s official stand on key issues. The Party Knowledge Center and Back Office also came under criticism, with Naidu questioning their efficiency and the absence of a reliable system to brief the spokespersons.
To correct this, Naidu said he will appoint two ministers and two senior party members who will supply factual information, policy context and the official line to TDP spokespersons every day.
Naidu contrasted this with the BJP model — where statements made by the Prime Minister are communicated seamlessly down to the grassroots. Naidu cited the Public–Private Partnership model for medical colleges as an example of how the TDP is failing to counter toxic propaganda from the opposition.
While Naidu has correctly diagnosed the problem in the TDP, the party leadership is partly responsible for the fiasco. The party does not appear to have a team that can effectively convey its stand on various issues or counter criticism from the opposition. For some time now, there has been a complaint that the leadership, occupied with administration, has not been focusing on party organisation, resulting in the present situation.
The takeaway from this episode is that the TDP leadership must establish effective communication channels on current issues to enable spokespersons to present a clear and coherent stand.