A few intellectuals aligned towards RSS and active members of BJP recently refused to attend an important meeting of the saffron party held in Andhra Pradesh. “This is not our BJP anymore. It is Naidu’s BJP,” said one member who did not wish to be quoted. He and many other loyal members of the party believe that state BJP is now being controlled by the former chief minister and TDP supremo, N Chandrababu Naidu indirectly. After BJP came back to power at the centre and TDP lost power in the state, few high-profile TDP leaders joined BJP. They include Rajya Sabha MPs, Y Sujana Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh and G Mohan Rao. All four are industrialists with a high net income. Two months after the four MPs joined BJP in the presence of party President, Amit Shah in New Delhi, the four leaders are still identified with Naidu leading to an internal rift.

“These people do not have a basic understanding of BJP’s ideology. They do not even have a mass following but still, they have become influential in the party. They sit on stage and give directions on how the party should move forward. The party workers are not able to connect to these leaders, who they criticised till a few months back,” said a party leader from north coastal Andhra who contested for an Assembly seat.

Looking at the way the BJP has been treading in AP, a few old-timers allege that the new crop of leaders has been acting at the behest of Naidu.

“These leaders and even the BJP have not criticised Naidu on capital Amaravathi or Polavaram project. They are giving the impression that they are in favour of continuing Naidu’s work. The BJP of late has been targeting Chief Minister Jagan more. It is no secret that they will join TDP back just before the next elections,” said another BJP leader from Krishna district.

He said that instead of helping BJP, these leaders will only hamper the growth of the party in the bifurcated state.

Political analysts feel that Naidu’s coverts are present in BJP as alleged and that they will play a key role in forging a TDP-BJP alliance before the next elections.

This is not the first time that Naidu is being accused of remote-controlling BJP. Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu was considered to be close to the former CM and it was felt that Venkaiah Naidu took decisions that helped Chandrababu Naidu and TDP.