Will real Obama stand up?

BY J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, Nov. 11: The US President-elect Barack Obama has suddenly become the role model for many political leaders of the state. From a seasoned Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu to a fresh Chiranjeevi, everyone wants to emulate Obama's thumping victory in the presidential polls.

All of them also aspire for his messiah-like status among the poor and the oppressed. However, unlike the electorate of the US, who had only one Obama, voters of AP will have to choose between many self-proclaimed Obamas. It was the Nava Telangana party chief, Mr Devender Goud, who was the first to equate himself with the US President-elect.

Within minutes of television channels declaring the results of the US presidential polls, Mr Goud held a media conference and said he would also emerge as a winner in the coming polls by adopting Obama's "social justice" formula. After that, the actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi claimed that he would be the real Obama of Andhra Pradesh as people were attracted to his slogan of social justice. Critics may point out that while Obama is specific and articulate, Chiranjeevi is rhetorical and vague on major issues.

But that has not prevented Chiranjeevi or his actor brother Nagendra Babu from claiming the Obama legacy. Not to be left behind, Mr Chandrababu Naidu said the victory of Obama was the victory of the TD. This left many puzzled until Mr Naidu explained that people of AP were also clamouring for change and were going to give a clear mandate to the Telugu Desam as the Americans did for Obama.

For good measure, the TD president equated the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, with the outgoing US President, Mr George Bush, and predicted the same fate for him. Meanwhile, the BJP prime ministerial candidate, Mr L.K. Advani, also said that the NDA would replicate the Obama victory in India. And BJP state president Mr B. Dattatreya said Mr Advani was India's Obama. So it is left for the voter to decide who India's real Obama is.