Efforts on to unite Telugus ahead of Babu’s US visit

​Vijayawada: The Chief Minister’s visit to the US scheduled in November is likely to lay bare the simmering infighting among the non-resident Telugus in the US.

Chandrababu Naidu aims to undertake a 9-day visit covering Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and New Jersey from November 13 in a bid to mobilise investments from the NRIs and the US investors as well in IT, Biotech, Fintech and manufacturing sectors.

The Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugus (APNRT) is believed to have mailed to the NRTs in the US to stay united during the Naidu’s visit. The mail is viewed as part of frantic efforts by the APNRT, an official agency, to ensure that the visit is not marred by the group rivalry.

Telugu Association of North America (TANA), dominated by the Kammas with a strong affiliation to the TDP is a divided house for a long time.

The post of the Chief Executive Officer post of the APNRT, a Cabinet rank position, allegedly set off a division in the TANA as Ravi Koduri, an NRI from Guntur, garnered the post by lobbying with Chandrababu’s son Lokesh. This, however, left the TANA’s influential leader Jayaram Komati disheartened.

The APNRT is reportedly trying hard to ensure that Naidu’s visit will be a big hit in attracting US investors even as Telangana Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao is set to take up a similar visit in the US in a day or two.

The NRIs with Telugu background is a divided on caste lines between the TANA headed by Khammas and American Association of Telugus led by Reddys. Meanwhile, another rival outfit was forged with Telangana NRIs in the forefront in the run up to the state bifurcation.

The infighting in the APNRTs spread over the other countries such as the UK, Kuwait and the other Gulf countries also, engineering a vertical split within the TDP’s NRI cell.

The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board will access US investors to chip in Fintech and manufacturing sectors while NRT mobilises NRTs in the US on a similar mission, Ravi Koduru, APNRT Chief Executive Officer told The Hans.

In spite of the fears over the impact of the lack of unity in the NRTs on the visit, Ravi exuded confidence that Naidu’s mission will be a success in view of an investor-friendly environment provided by his government by introducing digitization in the governance and simplifying the bureaucratic functioning unlike in the past.

Meanwhile, the visit is unlikely to enthuse the local IT players in view of the alleged red tape in the government in allotment of space for the companies keen to set up shop in the state capital.

A software company CEO on condition of anonymity said more than 50 IT companies from different parts of the country came forward to establish their back offices in the capital a long time ago and the government is allegedly failing to allot space to such companies.

Meanwhile, a private jet has been lined up for Chandrababu's exclusive use in the US. Mobilising investments apart, the trip also is aimed to bring AP under the ambitious Smart Village programme. Some 800 NRTs are currently contributing to the Smart Village programme in different forms, said Ravi.

Chandrababu will spend two days in each of the other places, according to the itinerary chalked out by the APNRT Society. "Each of the designated towns will host two meetings for NRTs, one for Smart Village adopters and the other for general public,” he said.