A section of TDP activists are demanding for elevation to Minister Nara Lokesh, son of CM Chandrababu Naidu, as Deputy Chief Minister to check the growing clout of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan in the state politics. For the first time, this demand was directly mentioned in the presence of CM Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday in Maidakuru during NTR’s death anniversary.
TDP Polit Bureau member Srinivas Reddy opnely appealed to make Nara Lokesh the Deputy Chief Minister. With this, this matter has now become a hot topic in state politics, particularly in TDP. In fact, Pawan Kalyan is in the number two position after CM Chandrababu Naidu in the AP cabinet. Wherever he officially goes, Pawan Kalyan is given priority.
This has been said to be causing impatience to Lokesh and also his supporters, who have been attempting to present him as the `natural political successor’ of Chandrababu Naidu. Moreover, CM Chandrababu also said to be intending to see his son in the number two position after him.
But Pawan Kalyan is being projected high in the coalition government, due to his mass popularity as a film actor and also his intimate clout with the top BJP leadership. Moreover, on several occasions he has been projecting himself as an `independent’ leader by making severe critical comments against functioning of various ministries, though they are not related to his portfolios.
His warnings to the police, aggressive comments on rice smuggling at Kakinada Port or warnings to top TTD functionaries are said to be not taken well by TDP leaders. In a way, they felt he was trying to dictate terms to the functioning of the government.
Moreover, at the field level, the alliance leaders are also giving priority to Pawan Kalyan more than Lokesh. If this continues like this, Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party cadre will strengthen to a certain extent. Political analysts say that Telugu brothers including Chandrababu feel that this will have a serious impact on Lokesh’s political growth as well as on the TDP.
Therefore, a section of TDP is suggesting that it would be better to give Lokesh equal status to Pawan Kalyan. In fact, the post of Deputy Chief Minister will not enjoy any legal priority, except giving some priority in protocol.
In the previous YSRCP government, five ministers in the Jaganmohan Reddy cabinet were given the status of Deputy CM. But none of them enjoyed any significant clout that Pawan gained presently. Presently, all the senior officials and also ministers are directly in constant touch with Lokesh, giving him prime position in the governance issues. The TDP activists are more worried on how to politically make Lokesh more popular than Pawan Kalyan?