HYDERABAD: By elevating his son Lokesh in the TDP’s administrative hierarchy, party boss and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu seems to have set the ball rolling for leadership transition in the party, but,
Naidu’s decision to promote his son has left some of his senior colleagues fuming whereas the development made the young politicos in the party feel happy.
Some veteran TD leaders feel the elevation to general secretary is premature and the “timing is not correct. This might become a hurdle for the party in attacking the YSRC, Congress and TRS of encouraging hereditary politics, the veterans caution.
“Our party was founded by legendary actor NT Rama Rao on the plank of opposing hereditary politics. That was why it had trounced the Congress during the 1983 polls. Naidu’s decision to make his son No.2 in the party without giving proper time to Lokesh to prove himself in the party might send a wrong signal,” a senior TDP minister from coastal Andhra felt.
Though none of the seniors are ready to openly pick holes in the decision to elevate Lokesh or in the constitution of new committees of the party, in private several ministers and seniors expressed reservations over the sudden rise of Naidu’s son hardly one and a half years after being made coordinator of the TDP Workers Welfare Fund.
Some veterans argue that Lokesh’s elevation might give scope for emergence of dual power centres in the party leading to confusion and disarray in the coming days.
However, young ministers such as K Atchannaidu, Kollu Ravindra, Peethala Sujatha and Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao have welcomed the move.
The party chief appears to have taken utmost care while constituting the party committees in order to please all. But his decision to pick A Revanth Reddy, who is prime accused in the cash-for-vote scam, as working president of the TDP’s Telangana unit, by sideling seniors like Kothakota Dayakar Reddy, Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Mothkupally Narasimhulu has invited criticism.
“How could our boss appoint Revanth as the working president of the party? We will be at the receiving end in Telangana with this appointment,” a TDP leader from Nizabamad rued.