Amid mounting clamour for his induction in the Cabinet, Telugu Desam Party leader and son of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Lokesh has dropped subtle hints that he is not yet ready for the post.
His remark that the TDP should draw lessons from Uttar Pradesh where the ruling Samajwadi Party is locked in a bitter family feud, has evoked mixed reactions from party seniors. Interestingly, bicycle is the election symbol of both the SP and the TDP.
Mr. Lokesh began his address at a meeting held on Monday by saying he had met UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav recently in Hyderabad. Mr. Lokesh said Mr. Akhilesh had told him that the Samajwadi Party and the TDP were the only two national parties that had a strong party cadre. But the recent developments in their family had set him thinking. “Many are saying that I should become a Minister, but my present post is bigger one,” he said.
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Some senior leaders of the party felt that his remarks could send wrong signals to the cadre. Mr. Lokesh has been involved in all key decisions in the last two years, and the feeling is that he is being groomed as the heir apparent to Mr. Naidu. “Lokesh was speaking his mind at the meeting. The situation in UP is different from AP and though the TDP is a cadre-based party, it draws its strength from the Nandamuri and Nara families. We believe that Mr. Lokesh has all the qualities to head the party,’’ said a senior Minister. Another senior party leader and a former Minister observed that Mr. Lokesh had been in active politics for quite some time, but his comments on the situation in UP reflected his mind. “He may be wary of family rivalries marring the reputation of the party,’’ said the leader.