Lok Sabha elections 2019: Modi's subtle outlining of friends and foes

While Modi was scathing in his remarks against friend-turned-foe N Chandrababu Naidu and his TDP, no reference to former foe YSR Congress suggested that the latter could turn a friend for the future

Sometimes what leaders say is as important as what they don’t. As Andhra Pradesh and Telangana hurtle towards the Lok Sabha elections — with the former holding Assembly elections simultaneously on April 11 — it is quite clear who Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s friends and foes are, especially for the future.

In Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry for those bewildered by the new name), Modi held a massive public meeting on April 1. He lashed out at N Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra chief minister and former BJP ally, as only Modi can. Comparing him to the character Bhallaladeva in the movie Baahubali, he called him