Congress investing in Chiranjeevi for future

HYDERABAD: What’s cooking behind Chiranjeevi’s statement on Tuesday that he will one day become chief minister of the State not on screen but in real life? Though Chiranjeevi made the claim in typical filmy style at a private function, Congressmen do not see it as an off-the-cuff remark.While it cannot be said with certainty whether his claim has direct or indirect backing of the Congress leadership, partymen opine it definitely indicates the party high command’s intent to have more than one card in its hands that could be played in line with the political situation that would prevail before the 2014 elections.Apart from lending stability to the Kiran Kumar Reddy government in the face of the threat from YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the bigger game plan of the Congress in roping the star-turned-politician is to attempt re-engineering of caste equations.Sources say Chiranjeevi’s repeated comments about leading the State one way or the other are also seen as one method being adopted by Delhi to put Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on notice.Interestingly, PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana found nothing wrong in Chiru’s claim. “He is definitely chief minister material.In any case, there is nothing wrong in any leader nurturing chief ministerial ambitions,” Botcha said on the sidelines of a function in Medak. MP V Hanumantha Rao and Minister TG Venkatesh too sailed with the PCC chief’s view.