The war of one-upmanship in Tadpatri municipality is turning out to be a major source of trouble for the staff of the municipal council. Both municipal chairperson JC Prabhakar Reddy and MLA Kethireddy Peddareddy are battling it out and the staff members are being sandwiched between them.

Tadpatri is the only municipality in AP that is under the control of the TDP. In all other places, it is the YSRCP that is ruling the roost. While JC Prabhakar Reddy is trying everything he can to gain an upper hand in the civic body, the MLA is trying to thwart him. JC has openly dared the MLA to remove him from the Municipal Chairperson’s post. He also wanted the MLA to stop poaching the TDP councilors. On his part, Kethireddy Pedda Reddy is trying to put spokes in everything that JC is doing.

The latest flashpoint is the review meeting organized by JC Prabhakar Reddy. At the same time, the MLA has organized a rally to create awareness about Covid’s third wave. The officials had attended the MLA’s programme. This has incensed the municipal chairperson, who stayed put in his chambers throughout the day and night. He had his meals and slept in the chamber on Monday night.

Unable to bear the pressure from both the rivals, the municipal staff are applying for long leaves. Municipal commissioner Narasimha Reddy has proceeded on leave, handing over the charge to a junior employee. JC Prabhakara Reddy has threatened to slap notices on the employees who skip the review meeting. But, the employees went home for lunch soon after the rally. When they came back to the office at around 4.30 pm, JC sarcastically bowed to them and invited them to the office. This has become the hot topic of discussion in Tadpatri now.