Eyeing electoral foray, Tea Time founder sponsors Pawan Kalyan's Varahi

HYDERABAD: Contrary to what the ordinary Jansainik would expect us to believe, Varahi in reality is owned, at least on paper, by a businessman who runs a vast chain of retail tea-selling outlets across the country including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He also reportedly nurses grand political ambitions and, if all the speculation in this regard turns out to be true, is looking to ride on the Jana Sena wings in 2023 elections for his flight to fancy.

A quick research done by NewsTAP revealed that Pawan Kalyan's much-hyped campaign vehicle 'Varahi' was owned by Tothehands Trading Private Limited, a company promoted by Uday Srinivas Tangella, the founder of the Hyderabad-based Tea Time. Even more interesting was this piece of news that the vehicle, a Tata make, was originally registered in Andhra Pradesh. Following its customisation to suit Pawan Kalyan's political needs, Varahi received its fresh registration (TS 13EX 8384) from the RTA's West Zone office in Hyderabad on December 8, 2022.

What this proves in essence is that the highly-publicised poll chariot with ultra modern features that the Jana Sena chief fondly named Varahi and will be relying heavily on for a swing in his political fortunes, is someone else's prized possession. The Janasainiks, who have been smirking in triumph ever since they forced the YSRCP rank and file to eat the humble pie on the 'Olive Green' ruckus, may find this truly disconcerting.

There is already enough speculation that the mercurial Power Star may have pocketed Varahi from Uday Srinivas Tangella either as a gift or as part of a 'quid pro quo deal'. The benevolence can be in the hope of a bigger 'return gift' that Pawan Kalyan is capable of bestowing in future, in the form of a party ticket for the 2023 elections. In some sections of the Jana Sena, it is hardly a secret that Uday Srinivas has been lobbying hard for his nomination as the party candidate from the Rajahmundry Assembly constituency in the coming elections.

Interestingly, right from its redesigning to its final, 'ready-to-run' shape, a staggering Rs 1 crore is believed to have been spent on the makeover of the vehicle.

And how does NewsTAP confirm to you that Varahi may well be Pawan Kalyan's pet but not his own? Well, here is the lowdown of the information that we stumbled on during our research.

As per the Telangana Road Transport Authority (RTA) records, Varahi is a Tata Motors SA1218 series vehicle classified under 'campers van (for private use)'. Tothehands Private Limited owns the van, with the manufacturing date 01-04-2022 and sporting Emerald Green colour. The diesel vehicle was registered at the West Zone office of RTA in Hyderabad on 08-12-2022. The records also show that the vehicle was previously registered in Andhra Pradesh under the series 'AP56BTXXXXX'.

Incidentally, the company master data available in public domain shows Bakul Tangella and Uday Srinivas Tangella as the directors of Tothehands Private Limited. The official address and email of the company are the same as that of the Tea Time Group, leaving no room for any gray areas on who owns the company and what is its relation to Tea Time.

Ever since Pawan Kalyan has released the video of Varahi's rollout, the vehicle has dominated news, more for the wrong reasons. The rhetoric and the slanging match between the YSRCP and the Jana Sena largely lay centered only around its colour. But in the melee, the fact that Pawan Kalyan does not hold ownership rights over Varahi and that it was sponsored by an ebullient new-age tea-seller who is also an aspiring politician as part of a possible quid pro quo has been conveniently brushed under the carpet.

Chariot of controversies

Even before hitting the road, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan's poll chariot 'Varahi' caused enough furore in the Andhra Pradesh political circles in recent times. The 'colour of its skin' sparked a fierce round of tongue-lashing between the ruling YSRCP and the Jana Sena ranks. Eventually, the latter seemed to have had the last laugh when it became evident that the colour used for the vehicle was Emerald Green and not military's Olive Green, that sparked all the hue and cry.

The actor-turned-politician may have emulated legendary Telugu actor and TDP patriarch NT Rama Rao in choosing his poll chariot and somewhat aping the latter's famous 'Chaitanya Radham'. But the younger of the two charismatic actors did not prefer to toe the senior actor's line when it came to 'owning' the campaign vehicle. While there are no two ways about how NTR spent from his pocket to get his 'Chaitanya Radham' designed and readied, the startling revelations that are coming out now are likely to end the comparisons abruptly.

Pawan Kalyan never misses a chance to poke at his bête noire YS Jagan by constantly raking up the latter's quid pro quo cases being pursued by the CBI. Now that the 'true colour' of the van is emerging, perhaps, Varahi may unwittingly become the vehicle for the YSRCP cadre to turn the tables on Pawan Kalyan and treat him with the same medicine, the quid pro quo bitter pill..!