Chintakunta Muniswamy Ramesh alias CM Ramesh, the NDA alliance candidate from Anakapalle and, more importantly, a close aide of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, has hogged headlines for all wrong reasons the other day. A case has been registered against him for threatening and obstructing a team of GST officials from carrying out their duties during a recent inspection in Anakapalle. He is accused of unleashing terror by using his 200-plus henchmen to intimidate the authorities.

Though hails from Kadapa, Ramesh secured a BJP ticket to contest for the Anakapalle Lok Sabha constituency which is located way too far away from his native district. The electorate here are yet to warm up to his candidacy since he is a non-local. But, instead of trying to endear them, he brazenly displayed his violent side, thereby plunging the peace-loving voters of Anakapalle into a state of shock.

This may be a rude awakening and a culture jolt for the populace here but for those who had known CM Ramesh and his murky past, this is hardly a surprise. A glance at his life makes it clear that illicit arrack trade (hooch) and bootlegging were the primary pillars of his prosperity. He amassed wealth and built his vast business empire on these foundations.

In his first flourish many decades ago, CM Ramesh joined his father Muniswamy Naidu to run a massive-scale hooch trade in Kuppam. The father-son duo was even arrested for allegedly smuggling in arrack sachets from Rayadurgam. Muniswamy Naidu was again arrested in another case under the Preventive Detention Act. But thanks to his beguiling tactics to entice those in power, CM Ramesh is said to have always eluded the law like the proverbial eel.

It is believed that CM Ramesh and his family had frequently taken the help of a minister hailing from Kadapa to escape a swarm of cases during the Congress rule between 1989-94. It is said that his association with Chandrababu Naidu began after the latter chose Kuppam as his constituency. In this process, he is alleged to have indulged in massive rigging to favour Naidu, by sending his henchmen from his native village Potladurthi to Kuppam.

Since then, it became a usual practice for Ramesh and his goons from Potladurthi to handle the entire task of vote management in Kuppam in support of Chandrababu Naidu. This nexus soon blossomed into a strong personal, financial and political bond between the two, which eventually helped Ramesh amass thousands of crores of wealth.

With politics aiding his ambitions and vested interests, CM Ramesh bagged several big-ticket contracts, mostly when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister. Taking advantage of his proximity to Naidu, he emerged as one of the most influential leaders in the TDP. His subsequent elevation as a Rajya Sabha member only seconded the popular perception, talked in whispered tones, that he is the proxy (benami) of Chandrababu Naidu.

Many within the TDP and outside say that CM Ramesh has the same quintessential political traits as that of Chandrababu Naidu. When his business empire was threatened and shaken up due to crackdown by central enforcement agencies, he shifted his loyalties to the BJP. This happened soon after the 2019 elections when the TDP lost power to the YSRCP. It is a popular belief that CM Ramesh, along with Sujana Chowdary and a few others, joined the BJP as part of a Chandrababu Naidu plan to ensure their collective safety from cases.

Why did CM Ramesh bully GST officials?

When CM Ramesh stopped the GST authorities from proceeding with their inspections on some businesses, it was initially felt that the former MP was merely trying to grab the eyeballs ahead of the Anakapalle Lok Sabha election. But soon, reports emerged suggesting that the leader acted in panic as the traders, raided by the GST, are ‘key’ to the funds flow in his electioneering. The stinking-rich politician is reportedly ready to splurge any amounts to try and influence the voters and ensure his victory at any ‘cost’. Crackdowns like these may only end up choking this vital lifeline. That was the reason why he reacted in panic and ended up rubbing the authorities on the wrong side.

The incident also exposes the BJP’s hypocrisy for maintaining a stoic silence. The saffron party was quick to condemn a similar incident in Kolkata where a few TMC leaders attacked a team of ED officials during a raid. Will the BJP speak against CM Ramesh in the same tone it denounced the West Bengal incident is the million-dollar question now.

This apart, CM Ramesh is all set to unleash his brand of election-time politics with a blend of money power and muscle power. As reports claim, he has already brought in his men from Potladurthi to Anakapalle, largely to pre-empt any resistance from local leaders and carry out the mission to ‘influence’ the electorate with minimum fuss.

Here again, one can expect the TDP to turn a blind eye to these unscrupulous activities as they work for its advantage. Ironically, it was this very TDP bandwagon which propagated a false narrative when YS Vijayamma contested from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat several years ago. They maliciously alleged that people from Kadapa had infiltrated into Visakhapatnam to vitiate the atmosphere and ensure Vijayamma’s victory. This mischievous propaganda played its bit in the eventual defeat of the YSR widow then.