Patch-up? TDP brass warms up to Junior NTR

AMARAVATI: TDP has invited Tollywood superstar Junior NTR to late chief minister NT Rama Rao's centenary celebrations. The commemorative meeting will be held in Hyderabad on May 20. Jr NTR, who is one of the highest paid actors in Tollywood, is the grandson of NT Rama Rao, and nephew of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu.This is the first time in several years that TDP has extended an invitation to the actor, who campaigned for the party in the 2009 elections but has been keeping away from political activities since then to focus on his film career. It is, however, still unclear whether the actor would campaign for the party in the next elections.However, TDP activists and Jr NTR's fans are vertically divided on social media platforms, and often cross swords at each other. It intensified further after the NTR centenary meeting in Vijayawada on April 28, which was graced by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. While Naidu's followers alleged that Jr NTR is discreetly extending support to YSRCP, his fans targeted the TDP leadership for deliberately side-lining the actor for fear of losing grip over the party. Interestingly, neither TDP nor the actor reacted to the social media war.TDP, planning to hold about 100 meetings to commemorate the centenary celebrations of NTR, is said to have taken the sentiments of party activists into consideration and invite Jr NTR to one of the meetings. The souvenir committee, chaired by Naidu, met in Hyderabad on Monday and discussed the issue of extending invitations to NTR family members. Following the decision, Tollywood hero and Hindupur legislator Nandamuri Balakrishna and his brother Nandamuri Ramakrishna agreed to coordinate the Hyderabad meeting.Souvenir committee convenor and former MLC TD Janardhan and Ramakrishna visited Junior NTR's residence to extend the invitation, who agreed to attend. The committee members also met former Union minister Daggubati Purandeswari, Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Jayakrishna, Mohan Krishna, Garapati Lokeswari, Kantamaneni Umasrinivas Prasad, Nandamuri Kalyana Chakravarthi and other family members of late NTR and invited them to the May 20 event.