HYDERABAD: The orchestrated efforts of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to carefully project his son Lokesh as the future leader of the TDP has left some of his senior colleagues and party leaders fuming. The recent appointment of Lokesh as the general secretary of the newly constituted central committee of TDP indicated that leadership transition has begun in the party. However, many believe that the ‘time is not correct’ for such changes.
Though none of the seniors in the party are ready to openly pick holes in the decision taken by their leader regarding Lokesh’s elevation, during private talks several of the ministers and party seniors are expressing reservations over the way Naidu suddenly gave promotion to his son, who was made the coordinator of the TDP Workers Welfare Fund just 17 months ago. The argument among some of the veterans in the party is that Naidu’s decision to give a higher rank to his son in the party’s administrative ladder is premature. This might become a stumbling block for the party to attack the YSRC, Congress and TRS that the parties are encouraging hereditary politics, the veteran leaders cautioned.
“Lokesh is already pulling the strings both in the party and the state government as his father Naidu has of late confined himself to Vijayawada most of the time. But, he should have been given another two years time to prove himself in the party before being made as the general secretary,” said a senior leader from Rayalaseema.
Some of the seniors 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.
But, TDP chief Naidu defended his decision to promote his son. “Lokesh made the party’s membership drive a personal crusade and created history with the enrollment of more than 50 lakh members. As the coordinator of the party workers’ fund, he introduced various novel insurance schemes for the welfare of the party workers. He has got promotion in the party because of his hard work,” said Naidu.
Lokesh has already been pulling the strings both in the party and the state government. Now, with this elevation, he has officially become the second-most important person in the party after his father. By restructuring TDP’s organisational set up, Naidu has set the ball rolling for a leadership transition as well as the party’s metamorphosis from regional outfit to national player.