Hyderabad Blues

T To Be Or Not To Be?

The tension is just too much to bear for many Hyderabadis who are now refusing to partake in any more seminars or statehood meets. “All the balls are in Parliament now. Let the legislators for once, take a call, and put us out of this uncertainty,” says one industrialist. It is just a matter of time before the climax unfolds. Till such time, the aam aadmi of Hyderabad is letting things be.

Be it YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy, TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao or Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, all of them are lobbying hard with other party leaders to explain their stand on Telangana. While both Naidu and Jagan want the state to stay united, KCR is doing his best to ensure that the Statehood Bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament. His meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has set tongues wagging again about a possible merger. But going by current developments, while the UPA does want to introduce the Bill in Rajya Sabha first, it is having a tough time. This is because the UPA’s own law ministry feels that since the Bill has financial ramifications, it is better to introduce it in Lok Sabha first.  

The drawback is that if the Lok Sabha does not pass the Bill, the T Bill for all practical purposes would have been steered to no-man’s land. On the other hand, even if the Rajya Sabha does not pass the T Bill, it can still go to the Lok Sabha. A complicated turn of events.  

The Valentine Challenge

Romance is in the air even as the weather hots up in Hyderabad. The pubs, restaurants and malls are going overboard with offers which promise to keep you and your valentine floating on a pink cloud throughout February 14. But playing spoilsport, the Greater Hyderabad Committee of Bajrang Dal has demanded an official ban on all celebrations to mark this day. One of the Bajrang Dal leaders Bharat Vamsi announced at a press meet that this time, couples caught celebrating V-Day at pubs and parks would be married off by Dal leaders. "Not just that, we will also invite the parents of the couples to witness the weddings," he threatens.

The activists of the Bajrang Dal say that as a "patriotic duty", they would be reaching out to college students to deter them from observing Valentine's Day. The right-wing group has asked hotel and pub managements to refrain from luring couples with any offers on February 14. Well this is a dampener for couples in Hyderabad who usually shy away from too much PDA in any case. 

Ego Problems?

Jaganmohan Reddy and his YSR Congress might have an edge in most opinion polls conducted across the state. But if party persons are to be believed, the son of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, has an ego that keeps even seniors on the edge. Well-known industrialist K Raghurama Krishnama Raju who recently quit YSR Congress says Jagan does not respect seniors in the party. "In front of journalists and TV cameras, he appears to be this mild-mannered politician but at party meetings, the real Jagan emerges, one who is rude and completely lacking in basic manners," says Raghurama Raju, who has since joined the BJP. If rumours are to be believed, party senior Mysoora Reddy too has begun maintaining a low profile after Jagan insisted that the former address him as 'Sir' and not 'Jagan babu' as he usually does. 

A Fast One

A part of the famed arrogance was on display when Jaganmohan Reddy addressed the press on the day Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy held a four-hour strike at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi recently. When asked by a journalist to react to the stir, Jagan said sarcastically, “Oooh four hours! Must have been very tiring for the poor Chief Minister.” Talking of his own hunger strikes, Jagan said, “Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhar Rao have diabetes. Their health does not permit them to fast. Kiran Kumar Reddy cannot fast. I challenge him to fast for 36 hours at the least. I don’t have any health issues such as blood pressure or diabetes. I am the one who can fast,” Jagan said, smiling at his ability.

Deuce

The gossip surrounding tennis ace Sania Mirza’s marriage continues. One magazine went on to say there was a rift in the Sania-Shoaib Mallik marriage which is why the couple is rarely seen together. Even during the New Year’s Sania was seen partying in Goa with her younger sister Anam alone. Shoaib was nowhere to be seen. Incensed at the reports, Sania’s father Imran Mirza says there is no truth to the talk and his son-in-law Shoaib was present at the Australian and US Open matches where Sania played.   

Foreign Solution

When it comes to gossip, celebrity hairdressers are always apportioned a major share of the glory. But in Hyderabad, a new trend has emerged. Fitness trainers of stars are said to be notoriously gossipy and reveal sundry snippets about their celeb clients to any willing ear. This was precisely how news of an alleged affair between a young Tollywood hero and a powerful politician’s kin got out. Following this leak, most actors in Tollywood are either swearing their fitness trainers to secrecy or better still, they are hiring foreigners. These trainers are professional, do their jobs and leave. Neither do they interact with locals nor do they bother about the private lives of their clients. But they do charge huge pay packets.