The 34th edition of Mahanadu, Telugu Desam Party’s convention has sent two distinct messages - that the party is gearing up to transform into a national party and that its Workers’ Welfare Fund coordinator Nara Lokesh is emerging as a lesader with a possible bigger role in the party.
The event saw many senior leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana voicing the demand for a greater role for the son of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and party Chief Chandrababu Naidu, Mr. Lokesh, in the party.
“Please bring Mr. Lokesh into active politics. Party needs young leader and he is capable,” said Rajya Sabha member Garikapati Mohan Rao.
Giving credit to Mr. Lokesh for the systematic enrolment of 54 lakh members into the party in a span of 50 days and which earned the party Rs.54 crore fund through membership fee of Rs.100, party’s senior leaders acknowledged the young leader’s contribution and his ability to connect with party workers and their families.
In fact the membership drive of Telugu Desam integrating the welfare of party workers was adopted as one of the first resolutions in the post inaugural session at Telugu Vijayam, venue of Mahanadu at Gandipeta here on Wednesday.
Backing the resolution, senior leaders Kala Venkat rao, I. Peddi Reddy, Garikapati Mohan Rao and others praised Mr. Lokesh for doing away with the conventional system and introducing online membership registration to bring in speed and transparency and creating a data base.
He should be given a bigger role in the party, Mr.Rao said.
Earlier introducing the resolution, Mr.Lokesh said though there were six national parties and 49 regional parties in the State, Telugu Desam became the first party to achieve the distinction of achieving half a crore membership in just 50 days.
He congratulated and thanked the party workers for giving the rare distinction to the TDP.
Mr. Lokesh, who played a key role in creating a welfare fund for party workers and initiated several welfare measures for the workers and their children, declared that TDP’s strength was its committed cadre and party would give priority to their welfare. TDP was the first party to extend insurance scheme of Rs. 2 lakh to party workers as a welfare measure.