Yes, i'am power center, says Lokeh - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's son Lokesh made it clear that he would not mind being branded as a "power centre" and "dominant leader" in Telugu Desam Party, if it comes to the issue of taking care of the interests of party cadre. By saying so, he dropped enough hints that he would play a bigger role in TDP in coming days.

Lokesh's comments lent credence to the dissent among the seniors in the party that he was being promoted as a major power center, sidelining others.

Lokesh, however, took care to specify that his role would be limited to protecting the welfare of the ordinary workers who toiled for years to bring it back to power in AP.

'If working for the welfare of party workers and their betterment is treated as dominance, I am prepared to be called as the dominant leader. They can also call me a power center. I am prepared to be branded as one by keeping in mind our party workers,' Lokesh said while giving befitting reply to his detractors.

Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, Lokesh said that he was not thinking of contesting in elections until 2019, while adding that his entire focus was on fulfilling the needs of all the party workers for the next five years.

The scion of Naidu family also made it clear that he was not interfering in any of the administrative matters of the AP government and added that he never called any bureaucrat for any work so far.

Hitting out indirectly at TDP MLAs' Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Teegala Krishna Reddy's critical remarks against him, Lokesh said that the exodus of one or two leaders would never affect the prospects of the party as its foundation was solid as rock thanks to the presence of loyal party workers.

Lokesh who is also the TDP Workers Welfare Fund Coordinator released a brochure containing information related to the upcoming membership drive from November 3, 2014. Explaining on the details of the membership drive, Lokesh said that the party had decided to enroll 25 lakh people as its members.

He added that the party would emerge as the second largest group of organized workers after the US Army which consists of 33 lakh soldiers on its rolls.

He further said that the party would provide benefits like insurance cover of Rs.2 lakh, 50 per cent subsidy to provide inpatient and outpatient health services in 30 identified hospitals and 10 per cent subsidy in select private travel operators.

He said that the drive would be launched by renewing the membership of party president Chandrababu Naidu in both Telangana and AP States. Lokesh added that the drive would be completed by December 3.

Following the completion of the drive in the two Telugu Sates, the party has decided launch the drive in other states of the country from December this year. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andaman & Nicobar Iceland would be covered as part of the drive.

The party has decided to do away with manual process of membership by replacing it with innovative paperless membership drive. 'The paperless membership drive would help us enter the data related to the people with the help aof tablets. Our volunteers would visit each and every village and collect the details of the party workers.

The details uploaded by the volunteers would be immediately updated at the head office through online for the issuance of the identity cards. The cards will be delivered in seven days to 10 days' time to the registered workers,' Lokesh said.

The party is roping the services of 1600 volunteers to carry out the drive. Former minister E Peddi Reddy has been appointed as the Telangana Election Committee convenor while senior leader and MLA Kala Venkat Rao has been named as convenor of AP election committee.