VIJAYAWADA: Telugu Desam Party national general secretary Nara Lokesh sparked a debate among political circles in the State on Friday after he said he would welcome NT Rama Rao Jr into politics.
In response to a question during an interaction with youngsters in Tirupati on the sidelines of his ongoing padayatra ‘Yuva Galam’, Lokesh said he would welcome Jr NTR and any one who has a desire to bring a change in the State, into politics.
The Nara scion explained, “Those with a good heart should enter politics. I saw it in Pawan Kalyan (Jana Sena Party chief) although I met him only once in 2014. He entered politics with a desire to take Andhra Pradesh forward with good governance. Be it a film star, educationist or industrialist aspiring to bring change and good governance, I would welcome them into politics as there is a great need for such people. This is my personal opinion.”
YSRC leaders Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao (Nani), both friends of the actor, were quick to react. “The TDP was floated by senior NTR, the grandfather of Jr NTR. Who is Lokesh to welcome Jr NTR?” they questioned.
Meanwhile, TDP senior leader and former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy pointed out that Lokesh invited Jr NTR and others to join politics without any reference to the yellow party.
He noted that both Kodali Nani and Vamsi, who have been repeatedly accusing Naidu of usurping the party from its founder, were elected as MLAs from the TDP under Naidu’s leadership.
‘Nothing wrong in Lokesh’s call’
Another party leader said Lokesh, in his capacity as the party national general secretary, has every right to invite Jr NTR into politics. A section of TDP leaders also opined that Jr NTR’s active participation in politics will not be surprising, considering the pressure from the Nara and Nandamuri families and with Naidu making every effort to bring the party to power in 2024 elections.